Visitors climb over Xilitla’s bizarre architecture. (Chris Atchison/ITD)

XILITLA, MEXICO -- If an artist was given an open canvas, say a pristine slice of jungle, and told to create whatever structures his or her imagination ccould conjure, it might look something this place.

After a five-hour journey I’ve finally arrived at Las Pozas, just outside the town of Xilitla in central Mexico. It’s here that Sir Edward James, an eccentric millionaire and orchid enthusiast poured almost $5 million worth of concrete over 20 years to create more than 36 surrealist structures for his own enjoyment.

By at least one account, the author, painter, architect and botanist ventured to this area in1945 in search of orchids on the urging of a Mexican telegraph operator.
           
The English aristocrat would stake his claim to this plot of jungle and his fairy tale garden would slowly take shape.
           
Not in a million years would I, or anyone else for that matter, find the garden if not for the help of a tour guide or a knowledgeable local.
           
Stepping out of my van, I inch up a pathway lined by snake-like creatures and take a walk into the dream world in which James and many of the contemporaries in his artistic community flourished—luminaries that included surrealists Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte.
           
The 37-hectare grounds are a blend of architectural styles—Gothic, Indian, Renaissance, even ancient Egyptian—sometimes in the same structure.

In the distance a strange series of arch ways and a building emerge from the jungle, which is held at bay by a staff of 30 to 40 workers who clear the ever-growing brush on a daily basis. James called the building the House Of Three Floors, Or Maybe Five. It’s now partially crumbling and unfit for tourists’ feet.

I quickly learn that James in no way intended his playground as a tourist destination. Stairways that lead nowhere, over 13 metres into the sky, have no hand rails and the concrete becomes treacherously slippery with the humidity and frequent rain showers. 

A Nautilus-shaped sculpture. (Chris Atchison/ITD)

But James was also a lover of nature and carefully incorporated a magnificent waterfall into his masterpiece. It’s now a spot where locals find relief from the heat.
           
Others, like vendor Juana Treco, still benefit economically from James’ ambitious construction.

“(James) was very liked in the town, he was very generous and nice to the poor people,” Treco says.
           
When pressed she admits that the term ‘eccentric’ may not be the best way to describe her husband’s former employer.
 

The waterfall at Las Pozas is a popular spot with locals. (Chris Atchison/ITD)

For those of us less attuned to the eccentric imaginings of surrealist art, this is living proof that our minds’ wildest creations can indeed come to life.