The story
As you stand here in the center of Plaza Río de Janeiro, take a breath and look toward the corner of Durango and Orizaba. Amidst the leafy trees and the elegant 19th-century facades of Roma Norte, one structure stands out with an almost haunting presence. It is officially the Edificio Río de Janeiro, but ask any local for directions and they will point you toward La Casa de las Brujas—the House of the Witches.
Built in 1908 by the British architect R.A. Pigeon, this building is a striking relic of the Porfiriato, an era when Mexico City looked toward Europe for its aesthetic soul.
With its deep red brick and Gothic-style windows, it looks like it was plucked straight from Victorian London and dropped into the heart of Mexico. But look closely at the corner tower. Do you see it?
The conical, pointed roof sits directly above a circular window, with two smaller rectangular windows positioned just below. To the imaginative eye, the architecture creates a clear face: a witch wearing a tall, peaked hat, peering down at the plaza with a silent, watchful gaze. While the architecture gave the house its nickname, a woman named Bárbara Guerrero gave it its legend.
Known to everyone as Pachita, she was perhaps the most famous and feared shaman in Mexico’s history. In the mid-20th century, Pachita lived and worked in an apartment here. It is said that in her candlelit rooms, she performed psychic surgeries, allegedly using a dull hunting knife to heal the incurable and materializing organs out of thin air.
Her reputation was so formidable that her client list included high-ranking politicians, international celebrities, and even scientists who came to debunk her only to leave shaken by what they witnessed. Neighbors used to hurry past this corner, whispering about the scent of incense and the mysterious figures seen entering the building under the cover of night. Today, the building has been beautifully restored.
It houses modern apartments and is surrounded by the trendy cafes and galleries that define Roma Norte. Yet, the mystery hasn’t entirely evaporated. Even as the neighborhood has transformed into a global destination, the House of the Witches maintains a certain gravity.
As you walk past its heavy entrance, you might feel a sudden chill or the uncanny sensation of being watched. It serves as a reminder that underneath the modern, cosmopolitan veneer of this city, there are layers of myth and shadows that refuse to be forgotten. Take one last look at that brick face before we move on, and wonder what those stone eyes have seen over the last century.