At the top of the famous Cerro del ChapulÃn rises one of the favorite tourist places for everyone who visits Mexico City: El Castillo de Chapultepec . Its bedrooms housed Mexican emperors when they wanted to rest.
It has such luxurious facilities that it is considered the only royal castle in Latin America and for more than 50 years it has become the headquarters of the National Museum of History, but that has not managed to eliminate the curiosities that are hidden in its corners.
If you want to know what they are, you can’t miss these 10 things you probably didn’t know about Chapultepec Castle .
1. It Evolved Over the Years
The transition from a royal palace to a history museum did not happen immediately, and in the process Chapultepec Castle was used for various purposes.
After housing emperors such as Miguel Miramón and Maximiliano, it was acquired by the city council of Mexico City in 1806 to be transformed into a military school.
But with the arrival of the independence war, it was abandoned until 1833 to be converted into the presidential house of various leaders with the establishment of the new constitution.
Finally, in 1939, the Chapultepec Castle was converted by decree of Lázaro Cárdenas into the National History Museum that is known today.
2. Auction Attempted
Chapultepec Castle was built by order of Bernardo de Gálvez, then viceroy of New Spain. But death would come for him before seeing his work completed, causing the momentary suspension of its construction.
The new viceroy of New Spain, Vicente de Güémez Pacheco, would not be interested in the castle as a residence, offering it to the crown as the General Archive of the Kingdom.
However, this project also failed and there was no choice but to put the construction up for auction, which fortunately did not see the expected results and was interrupted by the war of independence.
3. Was the Victim of a Bombing
During the US intervention in Mexico, between 1846 and 1848, an event occurred that undoubtedly affected both the cultural heritage and the nationalist sentiment of Mexicans. It is about the bombing of Chapultepec Castle .
Beyond the collapse of several of its foundations, the greatest loss was the lives of a large group of children who, armed by the militia, defended the entrance to the castle.
This event occurred in 1847 and the names of these children known as Niños Héroes, who have a monument at the entrance to the Chapultepec forest, are still remembered today .
As for the reconstruction of the castle, it took at least 20 years to repair the damage caused by the bombing.
4. The Royal Palace of Maximilian and Carlota
The arrival of the Archduke of Austria, Maximilian, and his wife Carlota in Mexico, brought the intention of crowning him as the highest leader of the second Mexican empire, granting him Chapultepec Castle as his residence .
During his stay, ostentatious restorations were carried out to make the castle as similar as possible to European royal buildings, placing luxurious French furniture that is now on display.
5. The Construction of Paseo de la Emperatriz
It is said that due to Carlota’s constant jealousy towards her husband Maximiliano, who sometimes did not come home with the excuse that going through the forest at night was extremely complex, they decided to build a long avenue in a straight line to the entrance of the castle.
In addition to this, large balconies were built in the main rooms with views of the avenue, so that Carlota could sit and wait for her husband’s arrival.
This avenue is still maintained today, only the name was changed to Paseo la Reforma.
6. Smoking Room and Tea Room
Among the more than 50 rooms that were built in the Chapultepec Castle , the smoking room and the tea room stand out for their curious characteristics.
The first had as a rule the admission of women, since it was used by Maximilian to meet with other men to drink whiskey , smoke cigars and discuss various matters.
For its part, the tea room, although it did not have the rule of not admitting men, was rarely frequented by Maximiliano, despite the fact that it was Carlota’s favorite to organize meetings with her friends.
7. It was the headquarters of the First Mexican Astrological Observatory
After the fall of the second Mexican empire and for a very brief period, Chapultepec Castle was used as a study center for celestial bodies.
This occurred in 1876, making it the first of its kind within Mexican territory, which was later transferred to a building in Tacubaya by decree of the new government administration.
8. It Has Been Used for the Film Industry
Due to its luxurious decorations and natural landscapes, in 1996 Chapultepec Castle was chosen as the setting for the recording of Romeo and Juliet , a film starring Leonardo Di Caprio.
Although this is his biggest appearance in the world of cinema, it has also been used for scenes in other films such as El Bolero de Raquel, by Mario Moreno, Cantinflas.
9. It has also reached Video Games
In the popular Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter video game , you can see in one of the missions how the protagonist goes through the Chapultepec forest and passes around the castle.
Beyond its historical importance, this speaks of the magnitude that Chapultepec Castle has as a cultural emblem for the rest of the countries of the world.
10. Exhibitions to the Public
Despite having become a museum of public category and having more than one hundred thousand pieces from the Victorian era and the High Renaissance, only 10% of the objects are exhibited to the public.
This is because the theme of the museum is related to the Maximilian era and the Porfiriato, so a large number of murals and sculptures that have no link to these periods are simply stored.
Probably Maximilian’s gala carriage, with features typical of European culture, is one of the exceptions within the exhibits that you can find in this museum.
Despite this, there is a lot to see and see in Chapultepec Castle , making it an essential visit if you are planning a tourist trip to Mexico City.
