The Palace of the Marqués del Apartado is the ten-year (1795-1805) work of Manuel Tolsá. One of the greatest late-18th-century works, today it faces the Templo Mayor site which was uncovered beginning only in the 1980s. At the corner of Calle de Donceles and República de Argentina, it’s likely one of the least-known of Tolsá’s works. It’s an astounding work for it age.
A work of strident Neo-classicism, the building has two facades on its respective streets, and three levels. Both facades are clad in quarried gray stone.
In 2005, the building came under the control of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). It’s also they’re headquarters. This is fortunate. Multiple artifacts related to the Templo Mayor site have been found in and under the building. An unforgettable Cuauhxicalli (altar-piece) Eagle was discovered there in 1985 and is today in the INAH collection.
Francisco Fagoaga y Arozqueta inherited the position of "Apartador General de la Nueva España" from his father. The Apartador de Oro y Plata was an industrial establishment which took mineral from the mines to be ground and melted. After melting and separating gold from the silver, the metals were returned to the owners who took them to the mint for coinage. Fagoaga inherited from his mother, Doña María Josefa Arozqueta de las Heras Alcocer, a mercantile house for imports and exports. In 1772, Fagoaga took up the title of Marquis of Apartado from King Charles III and then entrusted the Master of Architecture of the Academy of San Carlos, Don Manuel Tolsá, with the construction of his palace just a few blocks from the Plaza Mayor. This was in about 1796.
Over time, the building was modified for the offices of the Ministry of Justice and Public Instruction and for others. Archaeological excavations later uncovered the staircase of the Coateocalli, the House of the Serpent. These discoveries were made by Leopoldo Batres during the first excavations in 1901. This space was reserved, archaeologists suspect, as a house the gods of the lands conquered by the ancient Tenochca people, as war trophies.
Heart of México Walking Route: Loreto-San Ildefonso Route
< < Colegio de San Ildefonso | Antiguo Colegio de Cristo > >
The Marquis of Apartado, Don Francisco de Fagoaga y Arozqueta, commissioned the Master of Architecture of the Academy of San Carlos, Don Manuel Tolsá, to build his home a few blocks from the Plaza Mayor in about 1796. Over time, the building was modified for the offices of the Ministry of Justice and Public Instruction and others. 1901 archaeological excavations uncovered the staircase of the Coateocalli, the House of the Serpent. Leopoldo Batres performed these first excavations in 1901. Archaeologists suspect that the space was reserved as a store for the gods recovered in war by the ancient Tenochca people. The archaeological window tells the story of urban archaeology in ancient Mexico City and allows us to admire the interior of the Palacio del Apartado.
Heart of Mexico Walkin Route: Ancient Route
< <Metro Pino Suárez |Antiguo Colegio de Cristo > >
Proyecto “Corredor de Cultura Digital”.
Nombre de la investigación: Investigación Centro Histórico, Monumentos, Edificios y Puntos de Interés (2023)
Dirección de investigación y diseño de Rutas: Acércate al Centro A.C. Guadalupe Gómez Collada
Coordinación e investigación histórica: Fideicomiso del Centro histórico Dir. Maestra Loredana Montes
Nearest at 0.05 kms.
Nearest at 0.05 kms.
Nearest at 0.06 kms.
Mexico City's historic and first-recognized Jewish temple . . .
A modern graphic collection in an outstanding Baroque palace from the 18th century.
A striking Baroque work by Pedro de Arrieta stands the test of time.
One of Mexico City's earliest temples is today a cultural center and museum.
One of the most striking Neoclassical churches in the city center, the Church of Nuestra Señora de Loreto is also one of the most crooked.