Built during the colonial era, the National History Museum, better known as
Chapultepec Castle, is an emblematic building taht has witnessed important
crucial moments in the history of this country, especially from the 15th to the
20th centuries.
Initially, it was a hermitage built in honor of the Archangel San Miguel, later it
was a gunpowder factory and the home of the Emperors Maximiliano and
Carlota. During the government of Guadalupe Victoria, it became the
headquarters of the Military College and during the North American invasion,
in 1847, it was the scene of the heroic struggle of the Heroic cadets. From 1872
to 1939 it was the official residence of the Presidents of the Republic until
General Lázaro Cárdenas, which turned it into the National History Museum.
The Museum preserves a collection of almost 100,000 pieces divided into six
curatorships: painting, sculpture, drawing, engraving, and prints; numismatics;
historical documents and flags; technology and weapons; clothing and
accessories and furniture and household items. It also has temporary
exhibitions on various themes.