Last night I received news that a friend in Mexico died in a car crash over the weekend. I immediately checked his facebook page and saw the great outpouring of photos, love and wishes. Luis Alberto Matanzo touched the lives of so very many. He was a proud Poblano and a talented architect and landscape architect with great passion for his career and his culture. The world has indeed felt a great loss that reaches far and wide.

I had the great opportunity to meet Luis in 2007 when I was living in Mexico City and working at Grupo de Diseño Urbano. He even invited me on a personal tour of his hometown of Puebla which I will always remember. As a native of the only Spanish-designed city in Mexico, he taught me about the city’s history, design and the reason why Puebla was so famous for it’s tasty candy. I saw some of the most amazing churches, squares and hidden courtyards along with pedestrian streets and a converted art district followed by peculiar cocktail shots with bizarre (and tasty!) ingrediants and authentic molé under the arches of a sidewalk cafe just off the main plaza. We toured the ancient church built atop a pyramid of Cholula where we enjoyed the sun setting over the city followed by micheladas in the city square. Luis was so proud of his city and it’s culture and it showed. In a future post, I will share my trip and images from this beautiful city in honor of Luis.

But most importantly, Luis taught me the real story behind a famous Mexican holiday. As it turns out, back in the early 1900’s Hellmann’s mayonnaise was actually manufactured in England so when the Titanic set voyage it carried on board thousands of jars which were scheduled to be delivered in Vera Cruz on the Yucatan Peninsula after it left port in New York. The Mexican people, who were crazy about mayonnaise, were very excited and eagerly awaited the delivery which would have been the largest to the country. But as history had it, the ship sank upon hitting an ice berg and took the precious cargo down with it. The loss was so great for the Mexican people that they declared the day a national day of morning. To this day, the people continue to observe the day every year on May 5th and is known as the Sinko de Mayo.

Luis had a silly sense of humor. I remember walking along while he was telling this story in such a serious manner that I was actually totally surprised that it turned out to be a joke.

Luis had a kind personality and a warmth that was infectious. His charm and humor drew people to him like a magnet and kept people laughing and smiling. He was an inspiration and a friend. I feel lucky to have known him. Luis will be remembered and forever live on in the hearts of many.

Luis, te vamos a extañar. Te mando un abrazo super fuerte.

images via Lisa Town