Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Ravne tunnels.
Ravne Tunnels
Colors and volumes in the patio.
Monterrey’s Contemporary Art Museum (MARCO)
Inside Wonderwerk Caves, underground caves and excavation, Kuruman, Northern Cape
Wonderwerk Cave
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Mexico Valladolid Casa China
AO Edited

Casa China

A mysterious, abandoned Chinese building in Mexico pays homage to the area's East Asian immigrants.

Valladolid, Mexico

Added By
linkogecko
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Guardian lions.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
A more brightly-colored Chinese House in 2009.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
A more brightly-colored Chinese House in 2009.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
  linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
A more brightly-colored Chinese House in 2009.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
  linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
  linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

For sale since 2017, Valladolid's Casa China (Chinese House) is a very large building, painted in bright shades of red, green, and yellow, that stands out thanks to its East Asian-inspired architecture. With two guardian lions flanking the entrance and pointed, tiled finishes on the roof in the classic Chinese xieshan roof style, the building's main influence comes from Chinese architecture. The Yucatán Peninsula is known for its history of immigration from East Asia, especially from China and Korea.

Migration peaked during the boom of the henequén, or sisal, fiber industry. Not unlike other booms in the Americas, such as the Gold Rushes or Canadian and American railroad expansion, East Asian laborers were underpaid and forced to work under exploitative conditions. Over the centuries, the East Asian and Mexican communities would intermix, especially since the Yucatán did not see anti-Chinese movements like those that occurred in the country's northern states.

The city's Chinese-Mexican community often used the Casa China building as a meeting place. Eventually,  it became the property of the municipal president, who even used it as an office, preferring it to the City Hall. By 2017, it lay abandoned, however, and was put on the market.

Related Tags

Architecture History & Culture Immigration Houses China
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Yucatan: Astronomy, Pyramids & Mayan Legends

Mayan legends, ancient craters, lost cities, and stunning constellations.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

linkogecko

Published

May 3, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.roard.mx/property/en-venta-casa-china-merida
  • https://www.roiinmobiliaria.mx/property/excelente-propiedad-en-venta-o-renta-casa-china
  • https://larazonnoticias.blogspot.com/2017/04/ofertan-pintoresca-casa-china-de.html
Casa China
181E C. 40
Candelaria
Valladolid, 97780
Mexico
20.693802, -88.201219
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Cenote Zací

Valladolid, Mexico

miles away

Museo de Ropa Étnica de México (Mexican Ethnic Clothing Museum)

Valladolid, Mexico

miles away

Cenote Ziiz Ha

Valladolid, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Valladolid

Valladolid

Mexico

Places 6

Nearby Places

Cenote Zací

Valladolid, Mexico

miles away

Museo de Ropa Étnica de México (Mexican Ethnic Clothing Museum)

Valladolid, Mexico

miles away

Cenote Ziiz Ha

Valladolid, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Valladolid

Valladolid

Mexico

Places 6

Related Places

  • Face of Nakpil-Bautista house

    Manila, Philippines

    Bahay Nakpil-Bautista

    A century-old ancestral home was home to some of the key figures of the Philippine Revolution.

  • Sethi House Complex

    Peshawar, Pakistan

    Sethi House

    A rare instance of a historical Peshawari mansion restored and opened to the public.

  • Hôtel Solvay

    Brussels, Belgium

    Hôtel Solvay

    This historic Art Nouveau townhouse was the former home of the son of a famous chemical inventor and industrialist.

  • Prince Pujie’s Honeymoon House

    Chiba, Japan

    Prince Pujie’s Honeymoon House

    This house was once the residence of Aisin-Gioro Pujie, the younger brother of China’s last emperor.

  • The Moore-Lindsay Historical House Museum

    Norman, Oklahoma

    The Moore-Lindsay Historical House Museum

    A historical house furnished with authentic pieces from the Victorian period.

  • Berlin, Germany

    Hansaviertel

    In the summer of 1957, a massive architectural exhibition showed off the future of urban living in this German neighborhood.

  • Alatskivi Castle

    Alatskivi, Estonia

    Alatskivi Castle

    A wealthy aristocratic family built this Disney-worthy, fairy-tale castle.

  • Cookes House

    York, Pennsylvania

    Cookes House

    Political activist and writer Thomas Paine once lodged at this location.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.