Chapultepec Castle

Why go

(7,628 ft) above sea level. The site of the hill was a sacred place for Aztecs, and the buildings atop it have served several purposes during its history; including that of Military Academy, Imperial residence, Presidential home, observatory, and presently, the Museo Nacional de Historia. Colonial period In 1725 Viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez ordered the construction of a.

What to look for

• Notice how Chapultepec Castle relates to the surrounding streets and skyline.
• Look for surviving details that reveal the site's principal historical layer.

The full story

country house at the highest point of Chapultepec Hill. Alexander von Humboldt visited the site in 1803 and condemned the sale of the palace’s windows by the Royal Treasury as a way of raising funds for the Crown. The building was finally bought in 1806 by the municipal government of Mexico City. Independence Chapultepec Castle was abandoned during the Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821) and for many years later, until 1833. In that year the building was decreed to become the location of the Colegio Militar (Military Academy); as a sequence of several structural modifications had to be done, including the addition of the watchtower known as Caballero Alto ( Tall Knight Several new rooms were built on the second floor of the palace during the tenure of President Miguel Miramón, who was also an alumnus of the Military Academy. Second Mexican Empire The castle started to acquire its current look during the Second Mexican Empire, when Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico and his wife Empress Carlota established their residence.

Useful to know

• Allow enough time to see Chapultepec Castle and its immediate setting without rushing.
• Check current official access information before entering any managed interior.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.