Fodor's Expert Review Palacio Cantón

The most compelling of the mansions on Paseo Montejo, this stately palacio was built as the residence for General Francisco Cantón between 1909 and 1911. Designed by Enrique Deserti, who also did the blueprints for the Teatro Peón Contreras, the building has a grandiose air that seems more characteristic of a mausoleum than a home: there's marble everywhere, as well as Doric and Ionic columns and other Italianate beaux arts flourishes. Temporary exhibits brighten the home.