Inside the building, whose façade displays an expression of Mexican Baroque, there are two windows that allow visitors to see the passage of time and the historical process of its occupations. It shows remains from both the viceregal era and the Mexica period.
At the beginning of the 16th century, this building belonged to Cristóbal Vargas Valadez, who stipulated that, upon his death, a school named after Christ should be created on his property. Viceroy López Díez de Armendaris attended the inauguration of this school in 1638, and it closed in 1774 due to lack of resources.
When it became vacant, the College of San Ildefonso rented it out for housing until it was confiscated under the Lerdo Law and auctioned off by the federal government in 1857. It was purchased by Colonel Francisco Iniestra.
In 1928, offices were sold on this property. On February 9, 1931, the building was declared a historical monument and, in 1985, it was handed over to become the headquarters of the Caricature Museum, which opened on March 19, 1987.
As part of the Urban Archaeology Program, a window was created in the Founders' Room “David Carrillo,” where you can see a floor made of 16th-century cobblestones and, underneath it, several levels of floors and remains of a sidewalk from pre-Hispanic times.
Time period: Pre-Hispanic. What can be seen: Remains of a temple construction with different stages of construction. Interior of the “David Carrillo Founders Room.” Internal lighting (two lamps) and external museum lighting. Infrastructure: Wooden boundary, thematic label.
Source: Raúl Barrera Rodríguez, director of the Urban Archaeology Program.
