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 (called Museo de la Caricatura in Spanish) is a fun place to visit in Mexico City, Mexico. It's located in the city's historic center. The museum is inside a beautiful old building that was built in the 1700s.
The museum first opened its doors in 1987. Its main goal is to keep and share the history of Mexican cartooning. Mexican cartoons have been used for both entertainment and to talk about important political ideas. The historic building where the museum is now used to be a school called Cristo College, which started way back in 1612.
The Caricature Museum: What's Inside?
The Caricature Museum was opened in 1987. It aims to save, share, and show off the amazing artwork made by Mexican cartoonists throughout history. The museum also offers cool workshops where you can learn how to draw cartoons and other types of art.
The main collection of the museum is in a large room on the ground floor. Here, you can see many old political cartoons. These cartoons were often made during the time of President Porfirio Díaz. Among these, there are 65 special prints called lithographs (an old way of making prints) from the years 1861 to 1875.
Other rooms on the ground floor are used for temporary art shows. These shows change often, so there's always something new to see! The museum has even shown works by famous artists like José Clemente Orozco and Frida Kahlo. Their shows focused on their political cartoons and sketches. Recently, the museum has also had themed exhibitions, like "Piracy in the Modern World" and "Cartoons of the 19th Century."
The Mexican Society of Cartoonists also has a special exhibition hall. They host their own temporary shows, art workshops, talks, and book presentations. Most of these events happen on the museum's upper floor.
The Historic Cristo College Building
The building where the museum is located, at 104 Donceles Street, has a long history. It was originally the home of Cristo College. This college was started by Don Cristobal Vargas de Valdez in 1612. It even received a special royal approval!
The college began with a dean (the head of the school) and twelve students. These students actually took their classes at other nearby colleges, like San Ildefonso College. No classes were held in this specific building. However, it was still called a "college" because it offered scholarships. This meant it helped students pay for their studies and gave them a place to live.
The college almost closed in 1774 because it didn't have enough money. So, in 1775, it joined with San Ildefonso College.
The building you see today was built between 1770 and 1780. It replaced the older building that Vargas de Valdez had built. Even though it has had some small changes over the years, it still looks mostly the same. It's a great example of an 18th-century home with its Baroque style and a small patio inside.
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 San Ildefonso College, which this building was connected to. The lower arch of the entrance has columns on both sides. These columns are carved with grooves only on their upper part. The upper part of the entrance is richly decorated with plant designs and special inverted pyramid shapes called estipite. Above this, there's a simple ledge with a carving of a crucifix. When you go through the main door, you walk down a long, narrow hallway that leads to a very small patio area.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de la Caricatura para niños
