Love is in the air! For today’s #ChucoThrowbackThursday, we have a tale as old as time… or at least as old as 1973, when former Levi Straus s epmloyee Rufino Loya began what became a 20-year love project of beautifying his home. Story has it, when they first acquired their home it seemed humble, too close to the highway, and Rufino promised his wife Celia that he would make it beautiful. 🩵
Taking inspiration from the beautiful artwork in churches of his Mexican homeland, he worked with plaster and cement, molding it within bowls to create shapes he’d carve and paint into flowers and other decorative patterns all around the exterior of their house. From the sidewalk, it’s easy to see columns, Catholic shrines, and many decorations that came throughout the years.
Rufino (picture 8) passed in 2022 at age 88, but his Casa de Azucar, as the public began to call it, still stands to be admired by El Pasoans.
📍: 4301 Leavell Ave, El Paso, TX 79904
#CasadeAzucar #TheSugarHouse #elpasohistory
