Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Main Staircase
Knight, in the center of the
garden, was added in 1876.
A dramatic double staircase
with stone steps and wood-
capped brass railings leads to
the museum's Castillo Section.
The upper level is decorated with
stunning stained-glass windows
and colorful murals.
(
South Terrace
This broad terrace is best
known for the Monumento a
los Niños Héroes which was
added in the 1930s. The Fountain
of the Grasshopper is located
right in the center of this grand,
sprawling terrace.
)
Casa de los Espejos
A handsome building, this is
also known as the House of
Mirrors after the 16 concave and
convex mirrors inside. They
distort the features of those who
look into them.
d
At the bottom of
the road leading to the Castillo
Mural of the Niños Héroes on main staircase
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Tall Knight and Garden
of the Keep
This lovely formal garden offers
views out over the city. The Tall
Alcázar
Viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez had the first castle built
on Chapultepec Hill in 1785, but the building
remained unfinished. In 1841 construction resumed,
creating a Military Academy. Emperor Maximilian I
came into power in 1864 and refurbished the Castillo
as his personal residence, creating a luxurious
European-style castle with terraced gardens and
patios. Expensive furnishings were ordered from Paris,
Vienna, and Italy. Later Porfirio Díaz remodeled and
extended the castle. The castle continued to be used
as a Presidential Mansion until 1939, when President
Lázaro Cárdenas moved to a smaller residence and
proclaimed the castle as the headquarters of the
National History Museum. In 1940 the eastern
section, the Alcázar, became a museum illustrating
the lifestyle of the former presidents.
Top 10 Alcázar
Rooms
1 Dining Room with china
from Díaz era
2 Ambassadors' Reception
Hall with French
furniture
3 Reading Room with
Emperor Maximilian I's
monogrammed books
4 Game Room collection
gifted to Maximilian I
5 Smoking Room
decorated in 19th-
century style
6 Carlota's Bedchamber
with Maximilian I's
magnificent brass bed
7 Council Room and the
office used by various
former presidents
8 Díaz's Bedchamber
decorated in French
Empire style
9 Carmen's Bedchamber
used by Díaz's wife
0 The President's Office
used by Díaz
Artwork on the wall of a patio, Alcázar
25
An upper room of the Museo Nacional de Historia displays a
collection of objects acquired from Tsar Nicholas by Porfirio Díaz
