Museums of Chihuahua
Encyclopedia
The Mexican city of Chihuahua
was founded in 1709 and has a rich history which is reflected in the museum
s that are found there, which range in subject matter from prehistoric times to the modern day.
Also of interest is the City Hall
, which faces the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, especially the Council Chamber on the second floor off of the main staircase. It is on the Avenida Independéncia.
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
was founded in 1709 and has a rich history which is reflected in the museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s that are found there, which range in subject matter from prehistoric times to the modern day.
- Museo Casa Chihuahua is an early 20th-century building in Chihuahua city centre. It served as the federal building for the city until 2004, when it was renovated as a city museum, specialising in travelling exhibits, with everything from the fine arts to the decorative arts, to exhibits such as a numismatic history of the Republic. It also houses, in the basement, the jail cell of Fr Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, widely considered the Father of the Country. Fr Hidalgo was the first leader of the insurgency for independence from Spain. He was captured by the Spaniards early in 1811, tried and executed on 30 July 1811 at the neighbouring Government Palace. It is on the Avenida Venustiano Carranza and Calle Libertad.
- Government Palace of ChihuahuaGovernment Palace of ChihuahuaThe Government Palace of Chihuahua is a 19th century building in the city of Chihuahua, Mexico. Located in the heart of the city, it is of special interest since it houses the executive offices of the governor of the state of Chihuahua and, until 2004, the state legislature met here...
. Though not technically a museum, the Government Palace, or State House of Chihuahua contains some of the finest muralMuralA mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s in the Republic. The entire first floor and much of the second floor are covered in murals commemorating the history of the state, painted by one of Mexico's renowned muralists, Aarón Piña MoraAarón Piña MoraAarón Piña Mora was a Mexican painter and muralist.He was born in Metztitlan in the state of Hidalgo, and moved with his family, at an early age, to Mexico City. From 1930 to 1933 he attended the School of Drawing and Sculpture of the Plastic Arts at the Public Education Secretariat...
. The stained-glass windows in the main staircase and on the second and third floors, as well as the sculpture in the courtyard, are interesting examples of these art forms.
- During the French invasion and the Second Empire, which ended with the execution of the HabsburgHabsburgThe House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
Emperor MaximilianMaximilian I of MexicoMaximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
in 1867, the constitutional president, Benito Juárez GarcíaBenito JuárezBenito Juárez born Benito Pablo Juárez García, was a Mexican lawyer and politician of Zapotec origin from Oaxaca who served five terms as president of Mexico: 1858–1861 as interim, 1861–1865, 1865–1867, 1867–1871 and 1871–1872...
travelled the country, searching for support wherever he could. He found it in 1864 when he settled his cabinet and government-in-exile here in the city at the address now known as Ave. Juárez 321. The Museo Casa JuárezMuseo Casa JuárezThe Museo de la Lealtad Republicana , also known as the Museo Casa Juarez, is 19th-century building in the city centre of Chihuahua, Chih., Mexico...
, now known as the Museum of Republican Loyalty, has been faithfully restored to the appearance it had when President Juárez lived here from 1864 through 1866.
- The Quinta Gameros, one of the largest and most impressive estate houses in pre-revolutionary Chihuahua City, is now the state museum for the decorative arts, featuring glassware, furniture and a special exhibit on the architecture of Casas Grandes, the site of extensive Paquimé indigenous ruins north-west of Chihuahua City. It is on the Avenida Bolívar.
- The Mammoth Museum, at Gomez Morin (also Calle 27a) and Ave. Juárez, is the city natural history museum and contains 13 halls detailing prehistoric life from the dinosaurDinosaurDinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s through the reign of the mammals, or the Cenozoic Era. It also has exhibits of prehistoric art.
- The Semilla Museo Centro de Ciencia y Tecnología, or Seed Centre Museum of Science and Technology, on Teofilo Borunda and Lisboa in the City Centre, is a creative learning centre and interactive science museum for children.
- La Casa Redonda is the old roundhouseRoundhouseA roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
and back shop for the Chihuahua-PacificChihuahua al PacíficoThe Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico , also known as El Chepe from its reporting mark CHP, or Ferrocarril Chihuahua-Pacífico is a major rail line in northwest Mexico, linking the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, to the city of Los Mochis, Sinaloa and its port Topolobampo...
and Mexican National Railroads, and dates from the late 19th Century, built during the golden age of steam. It has been completely redone as an art museum, and features paintings by such Mexican artists as Diego RiveraDiego RiveraDiego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo . His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in...
, José Clemente OrozcoJosé Clemente OrozcoJosé Clemente Orozco was a Mexican social realist painter, who specialized in bold murals that established the Mexican Mural Renaissance together with murals by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and others...
and Frida KahloFrida KahloFrida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican painter, born in Coyoacán, and perhaps best known for her self-portraits....
as well as artifacts relating to its railroad days. It is on the Avenida Tecnológico adjacent to the Convention Center.
- The Sacred Art Museum of the Metropolitan CathedralCathedral of ChihuahuaThe Metropolitan Cathedral Church of the Holy Cross, Our Lady of Regla, and St Francis of Assisi is the main ecclesiastical building of the Catholic Church in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico. It is considered perhaps the finest example of colonial architecture in northern Mexico and dates from 1725....
is located in the crypt, adjacent to the tombs of the past prelates of the archdiocese. It displays a collection of paintings by such artists as Miguel CabreraMiguel CabreraJosé Miguel Cabrera Torres nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed....
, José de AlcíbarAguascalientes, AguascalientesThe city of Aguascalientes is the capital of the state of Aguascalientes in western central Mexico. It stands on the banks of the Río Aguascalientes, 1880 meters above sea level, at...
, José de Páez and Antonio de Torres, all of whom are from the Colonial era. Portraits of the bishops and archbishops of Chihuahua and Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
are also represented in the collection. The throne that the pope used during his 1990 mass in Chihuahua and the former archbishops seat of the church are also on display. It is on the Plaza de ArmasPlaza de ArmasThe Plaza de Armas is the name for the main square in many Latin American cities. In Mexico this space is known as El Zócalo, and in Central America as Parque Central...
.
- The Historical Museum of the Mexican RevolutionHistorical Museum of the Mexican RevolutionThe Historical Museum of the Mexican Revolution in the Mexican city of Chihuahua, Chih., is housed in the former estate of General Francisco Villa and his widow, Sra. María Luz Corral de Villa...
is housed in the former estate of General Francisco VillaPancho VillaJosé Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
and his widow, Sra María Luz Corral de Villa, the Quinta Luz. The house and its extensive collection of Villa memorabilia, as well as souvenirs and documents relating to other revolutionary leaders, was turned over to the Mexican government in 1981 upon the death of Mrs Villa. Corner of Calle 5a and Nicolás Bravo.
Also of interest is the City Hall
City Hall of Chihuahua
The City Hall of Chihuahua is an early 20th century building in the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico. Located in front of the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral, the City Hall houses the executive power of Chihuahua, the office of the mayor of Chihuahua, and the City Council whose salon is of...
, which faces the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, especially the Council Chamber on the second floor off of the main staircase. It is on the Avenida Independéncia.