Museo Casa Presidencial Lázaro Cárdenas

The Museo Casa Presidencial Lázaro Cárdenas is the museum of the home used by President Lázaro Cárdenas during his administration from 1934 to 1940. Today it’s on the grounds of the Los Pinos Cultural Complex. It opened on October 19, 2020 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the former president’s death.

The museum was opened as part of a project called “Chapultepec Forest: Nature and Culture.” Undertaken jointly by the Federal Secretary of Culture and the Mexico City Government, the program is intended to expand on the cultural, and environmental-cultural offering of Mexico City’s most important park.

• Lázaro Cárdenas del Río (1895–1970) was President of Mexico from 1934-1940. He’s the first president to serve out his sexenio, a 6-year term and then to fully relinquish power. He’s best remembered today for having nationalized the Mexican petroleum industry, and for welcoming refugees from the Spanish Civil War which lasted from 1936 through 1939.

The museum offers a synthesis of the life, work, and legacy of Cárdenas, who is often cited as the first modern President of Mexico. The museum invites visitors to some 732 square meters of exhibition space. This breaks down into 14 rooms covering five core subjects or themes. The collection includes 20 original objects of furniture and art, 136 reproductions, 267 photographs, 76 graphics supports, 417 interactive images, and 14 films.

The President’s walnut chair offers a centerpiece to the entire collection. The Museo Casa Presidencial Lázaro Cárdenas takes about an hour to visit, and admission is free to the general public.

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm.