SimiCasa: Dr. Simi Museum

SimiCasa is a museum space dedicated to the life, business career, and social work of Víctor González Torres, creator of the Dr. Simi character and founder of Farmacias Similares. Located in an old mansion in the Renacimiento neighborhood, in the Cuauhtémoc borough, the venue combines personal memory, business history, popular culture, social activities, and community commitment driven by the Por Un País Mejor Group.

One of the distinctive elements of SimiCasa is the building that houses it. It is an eclectic-style construction designed by the French architect Auguste Leroy and built in 1910. Throughout its history, the house had different uses before becoming a museum. Its restoration, carried out between 2023 and 2024, made it possible to recover the building and adapt it to host exhibitions and cultural activities, integrating contemporary museographic resources with elements of its historical architecture. The result establishes a dialogue between the building’s memory and the history of a widely recognized business figure in Mexico.

The tour begins with a look at Víctor González Torres’s childhood and personal circumstances, to then explore his professional development and the evolution of Farmacias Similares. The rooms include recreations of mid-20th-century environments, family photographs, personal objects, antique medicines, and a representation of different stages of pharmaceutical activity. Through these elements, visitors can follow the process that gave rise to a company identified with providing access to medicines at affordable prices and understand the construction of a brand that became a fixture in the country’s daily life.

Another axis of the museum is the welfare work linked to Víctor González Torres and the institutions that are part of the Por Un País Mejor Group. The contents present initiatives related to health, social care, support for vulnerable people, and environmental protection. The experience is complemented by the work of cartoonist Luis Carreño, whose illustrations are part of the so-called Cartoon Alley (Callejón de la Caricatura), as well as temporary exhibitions that expand the view of Dr. Simi’s visual and popular universe.

The mansion, for its part, adds an architectural and historical component that enriches the experience and distinguishes it from other spaces exclusively dedicated to exhibiting a brand’s objects. The venue has a store, cafeteria, guided tours, educational activities, and adapted spaces to facilitate access for visitors with disabilities.

• Hours: Tuesday to Thursday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Friday to Sunday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. It is recommended to consult potential special hours in advance.
• Admission cost: General, $130 MXN; children under 13, students, and seniors, $65 MXN, according to the Cultural Information System.
• How to get there: The area is close to the Paseo de la Reforma corridor and the Angel of Independence. It can be reached by public transport, continuing on foot from nearby Metro or Metrobús stations. To plan the journey, it is advisable to consult a map with the exact address and confirm access conditions on the official website.