Of all the building constructed during the colonial period in the city of Monterrey, the Guadalupe or Episcopal Palace is the oldest. It is now home to the Regional Museum. It sits on a hill which overlooks the city, on lands which the local government granted to the Bishopric of Linares in the eighteenth century. Construction was completed in 1787, on the orders of the Majorcan-born Fray Rafael José Verger, of the Franciscan order, who was the bishop of Linares (the principal religious seat of the order before it was moved to Monterrey). It is built from limestone, its main facade finely carved in the Baroque style, with a series of arches and an impressive dome. In the nineteenth century and start of the twentieth, it served as a fortress to repel the US invasion of 1846, the French invasions of 1864 and 1866, the war between Mexican Republicans and Imperialists of the same time period, the La Noria and Tuxtepec rebellions of 1871 and 1876, and the first stage of the Mexican Revolution (1913 and 1914).

It has two floors and ten galleries which display a rich collection on the history of the state of Nuevo León and the northern region of Mexico, from the distant past up to the outbreak of the Revolution. The first thing we see is the chapel, dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe, with an altarpiece painted in 1783 by Francisco Vallejo. The Viceroyalty is illustrated with a superb portrait of the Viceroy the Duke of Linares, the work of Franciso Martínez in 1823, and with weapons which belonged to the Governor of the New Kingdom of León, Martín de Zavala. There are reminders and explanations of evangelization with the presence of signs and significant objects from the former church of San Andrés, which has since been demolished (the museum’s own gate was recovered from this monument). There is also a baptismal basin, a beautiful sculpture of Saint Domingo de Guzmán and a valuable collection of polychromatic sculptures of saints.

The War of Independence is, of course, represented by portraits of Fray Servando Teresa de Mier, Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara and Santiago de Villarreal, which are displayed with explanations telling the story of their part in the war. There are also significant objects such as a printing press which Fray Servando brought with him when he returned to New Spain in 1817, in the contingent of Javier Mina. The grueling war of 1847 and the French Invasion are also presented through striking objects, such as the bayonet rifles with which Emperor Maximilian I of Austria was shot, or the flag which general Mariano Escobedo carried into battle. The most significant Nuevo León leaders of the nineteenth century (Santiago Vidaurri, Gerónimo Treviño and Francisco Naranjo) also have a space dedicated to them, with texts that recall and explain the paths they took and objects belonging to them which depict their way of life.

In relation to the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz, the exhibition revolves around Bernardo Reyes, the governor of Nuevo León from 1885 to 1887 and from 1889 to 1909. He rebelled twice against President Madero, in 1911 and in 1913, when he died. His passage through history reflects the history of Nuevo León, its budding industrialization, first labor legislation and ardent political organization. All of this is illustrated through explanations and objects which belonged to him and his family. The carriage which President Porfirio Díaz used on a visit to the state capital is also displayed. This is followed by an exhibition on the beginning of industrial development, which began with the Brewery, the Glass Factory and the Iron Foundry, as well as the organizations which caused this development to come about and the impact that it had on society.

The organization and development of the Archdiocese of Monterrey is an important aspect of the museum and offers a powerful finale which expresses Nuevo León’s cohesiveness and solidarity throughout the centuries. This section begins with a reference to Bishop Verger and an excellent portrait of him by Juan Alzíbar from 1784, which are accompanied by objects belonging to the former pastor and examples of sacred vice-regal and nineteenth-century art from the state, with their proper historical explanations.