Built by a Viceroy, Home to an Emperor, Treasured by the People
Written: Dec 11 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The art, the architecture, the stuff, the STORIES...
Cons: Never want to leave
The Bottom Line: In a city full of great museums and monuments, Chapultepec Castle stands on a hill above the rest...
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Chapultepec Castle - National Museum of History |
Emperor Maximilian. Empress Carlota. Hapsburg royalty. BAH HUMBUG!
Call me jaded, but I just don't get it. Everybody talks about Mexico City's famous Chapultepec Castle as being the royal residence of Emperor Maximilian and his wife Carlota, but I say, Who cares?
Don't get me wrong, I'm just as happy to be impressed by glittering trappings of royalty as is the next sucker, but with Chapultepec Castle, I can't help but feel like the mere residence of two people is hardly what makes the place important.
It's not like Maximilian built the place or something. It was built long before his usurping, meddlesome royal presence made itself known. In fact, it was almost a century earlier (back in 1785) that the Spanish Viceroy, Don Bernardo de Galvez, commenced to laying stone for the structure. But does anybody call the place "the Palace of Galvez"? NOOOOO!
It's not like Maximilian even got to hang his crown in the place for very long -- in fact, he'd be lovin' the view from the hilltop for barely two years before he'd start fretting about the safety of his own royal neck. A 200 year history, and the building's main claim to fame is a guy who slept there 1 percent of the time. Other hats hung there longer...
The castle was used as the official residence for Mexico's presidents for more than 50 years. In fact, Porfirio Diaz is the guy who hung his sombrero in the palace longer than anybody else. Is the palace known as "Porfirio's Place"? NOOOO!
The palace was even used as a military training academy, where legions of young officers-to-be would learn how to properly salute guys in green suits. But is the palace known as "the Mexican military palace"? NOOOO!
And ever since President Lazaro Cardenas decided that Mexico didn't need no fancy, schmancy royal palace, and moved the official presidencial residence to the more modest Los Pinos, on the other side of Chapultepec Park, the palace has been home to Mexico's National History Museum. But is the palace known as "Museo Nacional de Historia"? NOOOO! Errr. Well, yeah, I guess it actually is. At least officially. Everybody still talks about Maximilian, like the guy just moved out yesterday, but yeah, the chilangos also know that the castle is home to the National History Museum. That's a good thing, because the museum is quite a spectacular showplace and a site that NOOOOOBODY in their right mind would want to miss!
Come check out the place with me...
The View From Grasshopper Hill...
Chapultepec Castle is one of the most noticeable landmarks in downtown Mexico City. It's the focal point of the huge Chapultepec Park, not just for its historical significance, but because it towers over the city with its location high atop the city's only hill -- a place that the Aztecs once considered a holy place. To get there, take Metro, or just stroll down Reforma -- it dead ends at the park, smack dab in front of the monument to los Niņos Heroes with the castle looming overhead. Can't miss it.
A wide driveway winds up the hill, and you can huff and puff your way up, as I did, or you can pay a few pesos to ride the miniature train up the hill. Admission to the castle and grounds is 37 pesos (about $4). On Sundays, admission is free to Mexican citizens, but foreigners are always required to pay. I don't really have a problem with that policy since the site is maintained using taxpayer funds -- citizens deserve the fringe benefit.
Enter through the carriage house and check out some of the old rides that once called this garage "home". Some are surprisingly plain looking, for a presidential kind of ride that is, but not the cermonial imperial coach! Wow! That sucker looks like it's out of a Disney fairy tale with gold plating on everything but the red satin door panels. This coach definitely looks like the kind of ride fit for an emperor!
Then it's on to the main exhibits!
The bulk of the castle is made up of rooms that are restored to either their appearance during the imperial era of Maximilian and Carlota, or their appearance during the presidential era -- especially the Porfirio Diaz administration. There's at least 20 of these rooms on the lower level and another 10 or more on the upper level. Bedrooms, dining rooms, sitting rooms, even a bathroom and a smoking room. All impressively opulent.
On the first floor, there is also a large gallery that's filled with various displays showing various documents and knick-knacks from different periods in history. Additional pieces are on display in the various rooms. Some of the more interesting things displayed are military uniforms from the 19th century, a pocket watch carried by Porfirio Diaz, coins minted during the administration of Emperor Maximilian, exquisite pieces of jewelry, and various swords, guns, and pieces of military gadgetry.
I thought one of the coolest things on display was the huge chair that was Benito Juarez's Presidential Seat (I always wanted to see the "seat of power", now I have). Sitting next to the chair is the famous photo that shows Pancho Villa sitting in it, Emiliano Zapata by his side, symbolizing their victory during the Mexican Revolution. It's always been a cool pic, but the black and white doesn't do justice to the grandeur of the throne itself...
Many of the rooms show off furnishings that Maximilian and Carlota had shipped to Mexico from Europe. As Maximilian felt his grasp on the country slipping from his fingers, he shipped off some of his favorite items to Cuernavaca and other places, but much of the furnishings on display are original and were abandoned by the emperor in his flight to save his own sorry neck, abandoning most of his treasures (and his wife) in the capital. Some of the rooms contain extravagant pieces, like the room that was furnished in solid hazel pieces that were a gift from Napoleon to Maximilian, while other rooms show personal remembrances of their homes in Europe with original portraits of European royalty, including Maximilian's father, Prince Franz of Austria and Carlota's father, King Leopold I of Belgium.
But enough talk of the galleries and furnishings -- at Chapultepec, the building is really a major part of the total experience -- not just the displays.
There's opulence and grandeur everywhere, from the wide observation decks to the grand white marble entry staircase. I loved the big, open, manicured gardens on the upper level, not to mention the towers and turrets awaiting around every corner.
Art fans will love the murals by David Siquerios, Juan O'Gorman, and Jose Clemente Orozco, but nobody can help but be awed by the dramatic sequence of huge stained glass windows. There are five of these -- each depicting a Roman goddess who embodied feminine grace. The goddesses are Pomona, Flora, Hebe, Diana, and Ceres. The windows are incredible.
The large gardens on the upper level of the castle evidently stem from the reign of Maximilian, who is said to have been fond of castles with "gardened balconies". The centerpiece of the largest garden is a tall tower, known as the "tall knight", which was built in the 19th century when the castle also did duty as an astronomical observatory (since Chapultepec was the highest point in the valley). Too bad the tower is closed to tourists -- it would be pretty cool to get a real "birds eye view" from the top.
From Grasshopper to Snail...
Either on the way up the hill or down the hill, you might want to stop in at the smaller, uglier, modern building that's called "El Caracol". This is kind of an introduction to Mexican history, with displays that show various events since the colonial era. The one thing in here that I think is really worth seeing is the Constitution. This is the document, penned in 1917, that lays down the "law of the land." If you're in a hurry though, I'd skip the Caracol and move on. There's plenty of other things right in Chapultepec Park to keep you occupied for, oh I don't know, maybe a week or more...
Bottom Line...
Chapultepec Castle is one of the coolest places in Mexico City. It's the best chunk of real estate around, with great views of the park and the central downtown area, it's hugely significant as far as history goes, it's impressive beyond belief with wealth and trappings that you and I will probably never experience for ourselves, and it's a slice of culture with a rich sweet flavor. I know you wouldn't want to miss a place like this, would you? NOOOOO!
Related Reviews...
Here's a few other reviews about places in Mexico City:
* Palacio de Bellas Artes
* Riding Metro in Mexico City
* Teotihuacan
* Galerias Plaza Hotel
* Hotel Marquis Reforma
* Presidente Inter-Continental Hotel
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Singles
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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