A colonial palace in Mexico City hides an Aztec serpent in its foundation
In short: The Museum of Mexico City occupies a former aristocratic palace, a structure that survived for centuries as a private residence. Beyond its Baroque facade and ornate courtyards, the building holds a surprising secret: an ancient Aztec serpent's head, likely salvaged from the Templo Mayor, serving as its cornerstone.
The building, originally the Palace of the Counts of Santiago de Calimaya, traces its roots to 1527. Juan Gutiérrez Altamirano, a cousin of Hernán Cortés, received the land near the Iztapalapa Causeway, where he constructed a fortress-like dwelling. By 1616, the family earned the noble title of Counts of Santiago de Calimaya, a designation that would persist for fourteen generations. The current structure, however, is largely the result of a massive 18th-century reconstruction led by architect Francisco Antonio de Guerrero y Torres between 1776 and 1779.
This architectural overhaul, costing 130,000 pesos, transformed the site into one of the most opulent residences in New Spain. The palace features a distinctive Baroque portal, cannon-shaped gargoyles, and a central courtyard adorned with a shell-shaped fountain featuring a Nereid. Notably, the family occupied the residence until 1964, making it the only manor house in the city to remain in the hands of a New Spanish noble family until the mid-20th century. By the late 1950s, however, the building had fallen into disrepair and was being used as tenements.
In 1960, the government of Mexico City acquired the property, eventually inaugurating it as a museum in 1964. Today, the institution houses 26 exhibition rooms detailing the city's evolution from pre-Hispanic times to the present. It also preserves the studio of the painter Joaquín Clausell, who lived there in the early 20th century, and a library containing roughly 10,000 volumes. The museum serves as a bridge between the city's colonial past and its modern identity, hosting everything from historical exhibits to contemporary cultural events.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Museum of Mexico City
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