Museo Palacio Cultural Banamex (Palacio de Iturbide)

Museo Palacio Cultural Banamex (Palacio de Iturbide) Review

In 1780 this baroque palace—note the imposing door and its carved-stone trimmings—was built for Mariana de Berrio, a descendent of the Córdoba family, related to one of the original conquistadores. When she married a man who was said to be a poor administrator, her parents constructed this palace for her. This may have helped to preserve the resources that she brought to her marriage. The palace's name comes from Agustín de Iturbide, who stayed here only for a short time in 1822. One of the heroes of the independence movement, the misguided Iturbide proclaimed himself emperor of a country that had thrown off the Habsburg imperial yoke only a year before. He was staying here when he became emperor, though his own empire was short-lived. The house has been incarnated as a school, a café, and a hotel; it's now owned by Banamex (Banco Nacional de México), which sponsors cultural exhibitions in the atrium.