For most of the last two decades, though, this dilapidated Soviet hotel was nicknamed the Hotel of Tears, and lived in by people who fled war in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

ECONOMIST: The perils and persistence of displacement

Mexico City advertising executives Baker and Ruz brought cinematographers' eyes to Xcanatun, taking it from dilapidated to dazzling. (He kept his day job, while she manages the hotel.) The main buildings date from 1790 and 1850, and the new construction blends seamlessly.

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