he Ek’ Balam chair project began as a commission to make dining room chairs for my family. I was inspired by a trip to the Yucatan peninsula’s northern and western shores, which are comprised of fishing villages, savannahs, mangroves, and low rainforest ecosystems. Ek´Balam (Black Jaguar) was the name of the Mayan governor of the region prior the arrival of the Spanish conquerors and also the name of the most important Mayan settlement in the northern region of the Yucatan peninsula. The chair’s design was inspired by the vernacular architecture of the fishing villages of the region, such as Río Lagartos, San Felipe and Celestún, which are built with incredible simplicity, in vibrant colors andoften using local woods such as zapote and machiche. The chair aims to reflect the rustic, essential and sometimes colorful architecture of these towns.
