Posted on: 26th January 2006, Mexico E-mail this page to a friend

Robe Ecolor 250 XT architectural luminaires have been specified to illuminate the beguiling Izamal Convent on Mexico's beautiful Yucatan Peninsula.

The fixtures are being used as an integral element of a new permanent historical multimedia spectacle. "The Mayan's Light", that's been devised to attract, educate and entertain tourists visiting this amazing site and town. Illustrating the spirit and pride of the Izamal people, the show is also encouraging visitors to stay an extra evening in the area.

The lighting design was created by Elias Cisneros from award winning lighting design firm 333 Luxes, based in Merida City, Mexico.

333 Luxes initially submitted ideas - along with other lighting companies - for the project which was specially commissioned by the Yucatan Tourist Bureau headed by Carolina Càrdenas.

The Tourist Board appointed show producers A4, headed by Alfredo Escalante and Efrain Perez to develop a multimedia show celebrating the fact that Izamal is listed as one of the 100 "magical towns" in Mexico. It's also probably the oldest town in the region, and the Convent itself was the first built in the Americas, constructed by the Franciscan Monks in 1553.

When 333 Luxes won the lighting contract, Cisneros immediately chose 7 Robe Ecolors as his wash fixtures, to bathe large sections of the Convent's elegant arched stone walls and stunning architecture in different colours and textures for the 30 minute show.

It was the first time that Elias Cisneros has used Robe product, but it came highly recommended by a number of sources. The units were supplied by one of Robe's Mexican distributor GA Iluminacion.

Cisneros chose Ecolors for the design specifically because of their fast response time and the versatility of the beam angels, which are manually adjustable from 8 to 22 degrees. These proved ideal for both washing the façade and spotting the belfry icons and other details around the building. The fixtures are also used to produce meteorological effects, like thunder and rain.

They are rigged at various strategic positions around the building, and run from a PC-based Nicolaudie Sunlite controller.

The show is currently running Tuesday through Saturday nights and has been a massive success, attracting up to 250 people nightly. The opening was attended by over 1000 people including local dignitaries and VIPs.

Other components include sound, video, and live actors.