Luis Barragan.

Alegendary figure in architecture, Luis Barragan remains a leading influence in modern design and continues to be considered by many as the nation's foremost architect--15 years after his death.

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Born in Guadalajara at the turn of the last century, Barragan studied engineering before doing some globetrotting, spinning through Europe and North Africa prior to returning home with a cosmopolitan vision that would redefine Mexican architecture.

His stylish, minimalist designs featured pure planes of material ranging from unadorned concrete to falling water and played off the groundbreaking work of his contemporaries, most notably the work of German Ludwig Mies van der Rohe who coined the phrase "less is more." Barragan took modern architecture--which can come across as cold and sterile--and imbued it with color and a distinctive Mexican touch, capitalizing on the sunshine and floral beauty of Mexico to create a pastel sense of peace and clarity in his work.

"Any work of architecture which does not express serenity is a mistake," said Barragan, in accepting the Pritzker Prize--architecture's equivalent to the Nobel Prize--in 1980.

Barragan (who was not celebrated until the latter part of his life) died eight years after receiving this crowning award, but he left behind a legion of disciples. Foremost among them is Ricardo Legorreta, unquestionably Mexico's top living architect and a devoted student of Barragan's work. Legorreta, 72, has worked for cities and corporations around the globe, but his distinctive work for the Camino Real hotel chain in the 1970s and 1980s rings most familiar to Mexican residents.

Since purchased by the Brisas chain, his 1981 work above an Ixtapa cove (pictured at bottom left) remains a marvel of Mexican design, and it has been described as the world's most beautiful hotel.

Cascading waterfalls over acres of tropical garden complement the hard tangerine slant of the main hotel structure, which provides each room with an unobstructed ocean view. Colored with fuchsia and ocher, the five-star hotel is a model of Barragan's architectural tenets, specifically function over form and allowing the structure's beauty to stand on its own, free of superfluous ornamentation.

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Deep recesses of the hotel are gently illuminated and shadows rise and fall as the sun heads into the Pacific.

The lobby bar, certainly the finest of its kind in Mexico, makes the perfect perch to appreciate this marriage of architecture and nature. If only we could kick back with Barragan over a mango margarita and discuss the serenity of it all.