Manuel Suárez y Suárez was a Spanish immigrant to Mexico who became a successful entrepreneur and patron of the arts.
He is known for the Casino de la Selva in Cuernavaca, the Hotel de México, and the adjacent Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros.
Detail of a sculpture of David Alfaro Siqueiros and Suárez outside the Poliforum Siqueiros, Mexico City
Fragment of the mural "La Hispanidad" by Josep Renau, salvaged from the Casino de la Selva
Dining room in front of the auditorium at Casino de la Selva
World Trade Center, Mexico
The Hotel Casino de la Selva was a hotel and casino located in the city of Cuernavaca, Mexico.
The main building was opened in 1931 as a hotel and casino, but from 1934 it was used only as a hotel.
Additions in the late 1950s included buildings designed by the architect Félix Candela that were roofed by reinforced concrete paraboloid shells.
The interior was decorated with murals by well-known Mexican and Spanish artists.
After the 1970s the hotel went into decline, and in 1994 was sold to a hotel chain that failed to pay taxes on the property.
It was seized by the Mexican government and was auctioned off in 2001 as a site for construction of a discount store and a hypermarket.
After demolition had begun there was a public outcry, and eventually some parts of the murals were preserved.
Hotel entrance
Detail of sculpture of Manuel Suárez at Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros, Mexico City
Dining room in front of the auditorium
Fragment of the mural "La Hispanidad" by Josep Renau