Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Mexico City has become a magnet for digital nomads from the U.S. and Europe. However, the influx of short-term renters has driven up real estate prices, displacing long-term residents from iconic neighborhoods such as Roma, Condesa, and Juarez. Landlords, eager to capitalize on the booming demand for short-term rentals, have evicted many locals, erasing the cultural fabric of these historically rich areas. Hines College alum Paul Molina (B.S. ’19) has set out to explore a design project specific to this change, combining his education in interior architecture and scenic design (Carnegie Mellon MFA ’24). The Fulbright U.S. Student Program selected Molina’s proposal, Rasquachismo: Revealing Cultural Memories of the Mexican Home as a Form of Resilience, to shine a light on this displacement through a unique design project.
Molina's proposal uses the Chicano aesthetic of rasquachismo, an artistic movement emerging from Mexican American communities in the U.S., as a form of resistance to displacement and erasure. The concept, rooted in embracing resourcefulness and survival in the face of adversity, is a visual expression of defiance against gentrification, blending Mexican and American culture. Molina seeks to translate this spirit into his project to document and preserve the cultural histories being displaced by Mexico City's rapid urban transformation.
“While I am from El Salvador, I was always immersed in the Mexican culture in Houston and feel that it raised me; all of my family friends are Mexican,” said Molina. “When exploring different proposal topics, I went through several news websites in Mexico and looked into the border and other politics. There is a huge issue of digital nomads and the displacement of families. Homes are sacred, so I became attached to this issue and brainstormed ideas to represent this problem in a way that will hopefully generate change.”
The project involves creating a large-scale, temporary scenic installation on the streets of one of the city's gentrified neighborhoods. Molina plans to install ten cardboard packing boxes designed to resemble the architecture of traditional Mexican homes. Each box, meticulously painted with facades of ungentrified buildings, will contain miniature vignettes symbolizing the lives and stories of the displaced families. Molina plans to fill the boxes with handcrafted furnishings, trinkets, and memorabilia representing the intimate cultural histories of these families.
The design will incorporate rasquachismo’s signature DIY spirit using recycled materials from local neighborhoods, thrift stores, and discarded objects. Mirrors placed throughout the installation will serve as a literal reflection for visitors, particularly the digital nomads and landlords who have created these gentrified environments, forcing them to confront their role in the erasure of these communities.
“My professors at the Hines College really instilled in me the importance of the history of a building in informing a design, and so I was drawn to the idea of using history because of its story narrative,” shared Molina. “Set design is more metaphorical and magical, but there is also practicality to it, like interior architecture. In both, you are given a built environment and have to intervene with design.”
By collaborating with professor Gloria Carrasco, a respected scenographer in Mexico, and utilizing his background in stage design, Molina aims to complete this project over nine months. He hopes to immerse himself in the neighborhoods most affected by displacement, building relationships with local residents and documenting their personal histories. His goal is to offer an artistic critique of the gentrification sweeping through Mexico City while paying homage to the resilient spirit of its long-time inhabitants.
Molina’s work will also contribute to the field of set design, particularly in Chicano and Latino theater in the U.S., where rasquachismo has yet to be fully explored as a scenic art form. Through this project, Molina seeks to disrupt traditional norms in both theater and public art by utilizing low-budget, high-impact methods challenging elitism in the arts.
After completing his Fulbright project, Molina expects to bring his experience back to Los Angeles, where he hopes to work with Latino-led production companies like Eva Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment. By integrating rasquachismo into mainstream entertainment and community workshops, Molina aspires to foster a dialogue on displacement and cultural resilience, particularly in Latino communities facing similar challenges in the U.S.
Ultimately, Molina’s work is not just about documenting loss; it’s about preserving the layers of cultural memory forming the heart of Mexico City’s most vibrant neighborhoods.