First ever negative review: Extortion, violation of privacy, obnoxious and threatening text messages. It's a shame because I would have made this my base in CDMX. This *should* be a great spot for you, the room is nice, the permanent tenants are all really sweet people. If you are staying for one or two days and you remain aloof from the goings-on of the permanent residents of the house you might think, Ricardo's father Gabriel is amiable".
But then when you stay a bit longer you get to know the other tenants and the unpleasant environment they live in owing to Gabriel's micromanaging. The dynamic shifts as Gabriel comes to forget that you are a guest that booked through Airbnb with certain international standards for hospitality and he begins to slip into the same character that he presents to his renters: one of a man with a deep nostalgia for the good old days when it was appropriate to act like a paternalistic patrón lording ("benevolently") over his renters (who, by the way, he and his son both unironically refer to as "guests"!!) He comes in and inspects very frequently, sends you regular WhatsApp pictures of a dish that someone left in the sink downstairs, or PSAs about being careful about who you answer the door to. But this is all relatively minor, and is more of a nuisance for the people who live in the house.
Worse is he failed to inform me that there was a housekeeper who comes every Monday. I came home to find the room had been turned up, all my stuff had been moved. Once I got my bearings and realized I hadn't been robbed I felt violated.
Housemates told me that Gabriel resented interactions between the Airbnb guests and the rest of the house (probably because he was aware of his poor treatment of his tenants and didn't want for his Airbnb clients to also become aware lest they resent him for it and it reflect poorly on his "business".) Furthermore, if being intruded upon wasn't enough, they used the aforementioned housekeeper as a scapegoat for exacting revenge for such fraternization. Upon my arrival, all of permanent housemates had already conceived of a house get-together which they invited me to (and which is extremely commonplace in the neighborhood and in Mexico City in general on the weekends). I was in Mexico City to relax and do some reading, I wasn't there for partying, but I told them it wouldn't bother me if they use the roof; I am a deep sleeper.
Ricardo, two days later:
"I want to let you know that we received many complaints from our neighbours and other guests in the house about a party that you and your guests did this weekend ... some of our guests are considering leaving the house... The cleaning lady had a hard time cleaning all the drinks poured into the roof, garden floor and walls.
This is not a party house! And you are affecting our business."
No inquiry as to my involvement, just aggressive accusations right out of the gate. And hitherto I had patiently responded to all of their text messages no matter how inane or irrelevant they had been.
Foreshadowing future messages I would receive from Ricardo, this message contained several conscious fabrications:
1) "your guests" I literally knew no one in Mexico City at the time. I had no guests.

2) "some of our guests are considering leaving the house" untrue, because every single one of the "guests" save for one planned and attended.
3) The stain issue is patently absurd given the general state of the roof: badly peeling paint, full of water stains from years of heavy rain. Gabriel sent me pictures of the magical "mancha" and I scoured the roof to try to corroborate it to no avail. It is preposterous that anyone would notice a new stain. I have before and after pictures.
4) "this is not a party house!" well clearly it is, Ricardo, because your tenants planned a party. Nice try passing the blame on to me.
They backed down after my firm but respectful reply, but subsequent events made it clear that there was a chip on their shoulders. I come home one afternoon to find the shabby, somewhat dirty ~2'x3' curtain gone. I get this text message from Ricardo: "By the way, We took the curtain for repair"
Repair? I didn't know it needed repair, but sure. So I went the last two weeks with no curtain on my window. A couple days before I depart:
"The cost of the new curtains was $585 Mexican pesos.
Could you please hand the cash to Gabriel before you leave on Friday?
Have a good trip and please leave the keys on the room’s key hanger and close all doors.
Thanks
Ricardo
*$595 Mexican pesos"
$595 is around $30 USD. For those who are familiar with the cost of goods in Mexico this is highway robbery. Outright extortion or taking advantage of me to upgrade their room? $595 is about as fantastical as if you had told me that you bought the Paris je t'aime kitsch that you've decorated the room with at a Sotheby's auction. This was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Other notes: pillows are beyond dead, faucet is rusty and runs slowly, room has a habit of accumulating tiny painful mosquitos.