Casa de las Brujas — the haunted Art Nouveau apartment building of Colonia Roma

The Casa de las Brujas (Witches' House), officially the Edificio Rio de Janeiro, is an Art Nouveau apartment building in the Colonia Roma neighbourhood of Mexico City. Built in 1908, the distinctive building features a pointed turret that gives it a witch's-hat-like silhouette, earning its popular name. During the devastating 1985 Mexico City earthquake, the building survived while surrounding structures collapsed, and this apparent supernatural protection reinforced its mystical reputation. Residents and visitors have reported seeing figures in the windows of vacant apartments, hearing footsteps on the building's ornate staircase at night, and experiencing cold spots in the corridors. Some accounts describe a woman in white who appears on the upper floors during the full moon. The Colonia Roma neighbourhood, one of Mexico City's most culturally vibrant areas, was developed in the early 20th century for the city's bourgeoisie, and its Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture gives it a European character that distinguishes it from the colonial centre. The 1985 earthquake killed over 10,000 people in Mexico City, and many buildings in the Colonia Roma became mass graves. The Casa de las Brujas' survival amid this destruction gives it a survivor's authority.