Absence: Spectral Architectures in Mexico (And Beyond)

This talk explores the spectral dimensions of contemporary Mexican architecture through the lens of “remittance architecture,” homes built with money sent by migrants in the United States to families in Mexico. These often unfinished or abandoned houses, inspired by U.S. architectural styles, stand in tension with state-sponsored projects like the “Pueblo Mágico Plan,” which promotes a nostalgic, fixed vision of national heritage.

Dr. Díaz Miranda examines how these structures embody absence, “belatedness,” and unfulfilled dreams of return, ultimately showcasing how undocumented workers become “specters of neoliberalism,” whose labor is desired but whose

presence is both unwanted and rendered invisible, perpetuating a state of contingent invisibility

and traumatic repetition.