Chapultepec Castle facts for kids

Chapultepec Castle (Spanish: Castillo de Chapultepec) sits on top of Chapultepec Hill in Mexico City's Chapultepec park. The name Chapultepec comes from the Nahuatl language. It means "on the hill of the grasshopper." The castle is about 2,325 meters (7,628 feet) above sea level.

This hill was a special, sacred place for the Aztecs long ago. Over time, the buildings on it have been used for many different things. It was once a military school, a home for emperors and presidents, and even an observatory. Since 1939, it has been the National Museum of History. Chapultepec Castle is one of only two royal palaces in North America where monarchs actually lived. The other is Iturbide Palace, also in Mexico City.

The castle was first built as a summer home for the highest Spanish official, the viceroy, during the time of New Spain. It was later used as a gunpowder storage and then a military academy. In the 1860s, it became the official home for Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico and his wife, Empress Carlota. They lived there during the Second Mexican Empire (1864–1867).

In 1882, President Manuel González made it the official home for the president. Most presidents lived there until 1934. That's when President Lázaro Cárdenas chose to live at Los Pinos instead. He then turned the castle into a museum in 1939.

Building the Castle: The Viceroy's Summer Home

Biombo (folding screen) showing a party in a Chapultepec garden, around 1780-1790. This is now in the National Museum of History at Chapultepec Castle.

In 1785, Viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez decided to build a grand summer house for himself. He wanted it at the highest point of Chapultepec Hill. Francisco Bambitelli, a Spanish Army engineer, drew up the plans. Construction began on August 16 of that year.

When Bambitelli left for Havana, Captain Manuel Agustín Mascaró took over. The building work moved very quickly under his leadership. Some people accused Mascaró of building a fortress to rebel against Spain. Viceroy de Gálvez died suddenly in 1786, which led to rumors of poisoning. However, there is no proof of this.

After the viceroy's death, the Spanish Crown tried to sell the unfinished building. They offered it at a very low price, but no one bought it. Another viceroy, Juan Vicente de Güemes Pacheco de Padilla y Horcasitas, thought about using it for the kingdom's main archive. But this idea also didn't happen.

In 1803, a German scientist named Alexander von Humboldt visited the site. He was upset that the palace's windows had been sold to raise money for the Spanish Crown. Finally, in 1806, the local government of Mexico City bought the building.

A Military Academy and a Battle

View of the castle from within Chapultepec park.

Chapultepec Castle was left empty during the Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821). It stayed empty for many years. Then, in 1833, a new plan was made. The building was chosen to become the Military College, a school for army cadets.

To make it suitable for a school, several changes were made. A new watchtower, called Caballero Alto ("Tall Knight"), was added.

On September 13, 1847, a sad event happened. Young cadets, known as the Niños Héroes ("Boy Heroes"), died defending the castle. This was during the Battle of Chapultepec, when United States forces took the castle during the Mexican–American War. A large mural honoring these heroes is on the ceiling above the castle's main entrance.

The United States Marine Corps remembers their part in this battle. The first line of their song, the "Marines' Hymn," says "From the Halls of Montezuma." Marine Corps tradition says the red stripe on their uniforms, called the blood stripe, honors the many Marines who died storming the castle. It's important to know that the castle was built by the Spanish, not by the Aztec Emperor Montezuma.

Later, during the time of President Miguel Miramón, new rooms were built on the second floor. Miramón himself had been a student at the Military Academy.

The Emperor's Grand Home

Portrait of Maximilian I of Mexico by Winterhalter, 1864. This painting hangs in the castle.

In 1864, Mexican conservatives invited Maximilian von Hapsburg to become Emperor of Mexico. The castle, then called Castillo de Miravalle, became his home and the home of his wife, Empress Carlota.

The Emperor hired several architects from Europe and Mexico to make the castle grander. These included Julius Hofmann, Carl Gangolf Kayser, Carlos Schaffer, Eleuterio Méndez, and Ramón Cruz Arango. They designed new parts in a neoclassical style. This made the palace a beautiful royal residence. Some of these European architects also worked on other famous castles, like Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.

Botanist Wilhelm Knechtel was in charge of creating a lovely roof garden on the building. The Emperor also brought many beautiful furniture pieces and artworks from Europe. You can still see some of these items in the museum today.

The music room during the time of the Second Mexican Empire.

Back then, the castle was outside Mexico City. So, Maximilian ordered a straight road to be built. This road would connect his royal home to the city center. He named it Paseo de la Emperatriz ("Promenade of the Empress") to honor his wife. After the empire ended in 1867, the road was renamed Paseo de la Reforma. This new name honored the Liberal reform movement.

From Observatory to Museum

After the Second Mexican Empire ended in 1867, the castle was not used for a while. In 1876, a plan was made to turn it into an Astronomical, Meteorological, and Magnetic Observatory. This observatory opened in 1878.

However, the observatory only worked for five years. It was then moved to another location. This allowed the Military College to return to the castle. The building also began to be used as the presidential residence.

In 1882, President Manuel González officially declared it the home of the President of Mexico. Most presidents after him lived there. This continued until 1934, when President Lázaro Cárdenas decided to live at Los Pinos instead. He then turned Chapultepec Castle into a museum in 1939.

The palace had more changes under President González and later under President Porfirio Díaz. Even after Díaz was overthrown in the Mexican Revolution, it remained the presidential home. Presidents like Francisco I. Madero, Venustiano Carranza, Álvaro Obregón, and others lived there. For a time, it was also used as a guest house for important visitors from other countries.

Finally, on February 3, 1939, President Lázaro Cárdenas made a law. This law officially made Chapultepec Castle the National Museum of History. The museum opened on September 27, 1944.

On January 16, 1992, an important peace agreement was signed at the castle. These were the Chapultepec Peace Accords, which ended the civil war in El Salvador. Leaders from both sides signed the treaty, with help from the UN Secretary-General.

Floorplan of the castle's ground floor.

Floorplan of the castle's second floor, including gardens.

Gallery

See also

In Spanish: Castillo de Chapultepec para niños

• List of colonial non-religious buildings in Mexico City
• List of colonial churches in Mexico City
• Chapultepec
• Miramare Castle
• Palace of Iturbide
• List of castles