Caricature Museum, Mexico City facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Caricature Museum |
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Façade of the museum
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | New Spanish Baroque |
| Location | Mexico City, Mexico |
The Caricature Museum (also known as Museo de la Caricatura in Spanish) is a cool place in the old part of Mexico City. It's inside a beautiful building that's over 200 years old, built in a style called Baroque. The museum first opened its doors in 1987. Its main goal is to save and share the amazing history of Mexican cartooning. Cartoons in Mexico have been used for both fun and to talk about important political ideas. The historic building where the museum is located was once a royal school called Cristo College, which started way back in 1612.
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Exploring the Caricature Museum
The Caricature Museum was created in 1987. Its purpose is to "save, print again, and share the artistic works made by Mexican cartoonists throughout history." The museum also offers fun workshops where you can learn about cartooning and other types of drawing.
What You Can See: Permanent and Temporary Exhibits
The museum has a main collection that you can always see. It's in one big room on the ground floor. This collection starts with political cartoons from the time when Porfirio Díaz was president of Mexico. These cartoons often made fun of politicians or talked about big issues. Among these old cartoons are 65 special prints called lithographs, made between 1861 and 1875.
In another room on the ground floor, called the Hall of Mexican Expressive Art, the museum shows different exhibits that change over time. Famous artists like José Clemente Orozco and Frida Kahlo have had their political cartoons and sketches shown here. The museum has also had special exhibits about topics like "Piracy in the Modern World" and "Cartoons of the 19th Century."
Mexican Society of Cartoonists
The Mexican Society of Cartoonists (La Sociedad Mexicana de Caricaturistas) also has its own space in the museum. They have an exhibition hall, usually on the upper floor. They also put on temporary shows, art workshops, talks, and book presentations. These events are often about the history and art of cartooning.
The Historic Cristo College Building
The building at 104 Donceles Street has a long history. It was originally home to Cristo College. This college was started by Don Cristobal Vargas de Valdez in 1612. It even received a special royal permission to operate.
How the College Worked
The college began with a leader and twelve students. These students actually took their classes at other nearby colleges, like San Ildefonso College and the College of San Pedro y San Pablo. No classes were held in this specific building. However, it was still called a college because it provided scholarships. These scholarships helped students who lived there pay for their education. The college almost closed in 1774 because it didn't have enough money. Because of this, it joined with San Ildefonso College in 1775.
The Building's Design and Features
The building you see today was built between 1770 and 1780. It replaced the older one that Vargas de Valdez had built. Even though it has had some small changes over the years, it still looks mostly the same. It has a beautiful Baroque front and a small patio inside. It's a great example of what an 18th-century house looked like.
The front of the building has two levels. It's covered with a blood-red volcanic stone called tezontle. The windows and doors on the main front are framed with a grayish-white stone called chiluca. The main entrance looks similar to the entrance of the Colegio Grande at San Ildefonso College, which this building was connected to. The lower arch of the entrance has columns on both sides. These columns have special grooves only on their upper part. The upper part of the entrance is decorated with lots of plant designs and unique shapes called estipites. These shapes look like upside-down, cut-off pyramids. The top edge of the building is very simple and has a carving of a crucifix. When you go through the main door, there's a long, narrow hallway that leads to a very small patio area inside.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de la Caricatura para niños
