Altos de Chavon Stones

Altos de Chavón is not just a an artist village built in the style of an European medieval village. It is the artistic realization of Roberto Copa, a former movie set designer whose high standards and attention to details was unequaled. The outer wall surrounding the amphitheater was built, torn down and rebuilt because he wasn’t satisfied with the rock patterns. No stone was overlooked as each stone was studied and planned as a part of the big picture. And what a big picture it is.

A lot has been written about this village, but, what the brochures don’t tell you is that every space, every floor, and every path was carefully thought out, designed, and built out of stones that were tediously hand cut and shaped by a group of artisans working every day to create the perfect stone for the perfect spot.

Looking down from the bell tower you start realizing that the ground you have been walking on is a little part of a very large art piece. You notice the painstaking work that went into making shape after shape using nothing but stones. The result is breath taking. Roberto Copa painted with rocks the way an artist creates with paints.

There is nothing like being there, but please take a moment to examine the extraordinary work depicted in these photos.