The Caricature Museum (Museo de la Caricatura in Spanish) is located in an 18th-century Baroque building in the historic center of

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

. It was opened in 1987 to preserve and promote the history of Mexican

cartooning A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...

, done for both political and entertainment purposes. The historic building it occupies was originally the home of Cristo College, a royal college established in 1612.

The museum

The Caricature Museum was inaugurated in 1987 to "preserve, reprint and disseminate artistic works realized by Mexican cartoonists over history." The museum also offers workshops dedicated to cartooning, and other types of drawing. The permanent collection is in one hall on the ground floor, and begins with mostly political cartoons from the

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori ( or ; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), known as Porfirio Díaz, was a Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as President of Mexico, a total of 31 years, from 28 November 1876 to 6 Decem ...

presidency. Among these are 65

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

s done between 1861 and 1875. Temporary exhibitions are held in the other hall of the ground floor, called the Hall of Mexican Expressive Art. The museum has hosted exhibition by famous-name artists such as

José Clemente Orozco José Clemente Orozco (November 23, 1883 – September 7, 1949) was a Mexican caricaturist and painter, who specialized in political murals that established the Mexican Mural Renaissance together with murals by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Si ...

and

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...

, focusing on their political cartoon work and sketches. They have also recently held themed exhibitions such as "Piracy in the Modern World" and "Cartoons of the 19th Century. The Mexican Society of Cartoonists (La Sociedad Mexicana de Caricaturistas) has an exhibition hall, and also hosts temporary exhibitions, art workshops, conferences and book presentations, mostly on the museum's upper floor.

Cristo College building

The building at 104 Donceles Street was originally the home of the Cristo College, founded by Don Cristobal Vargas de Valdez in 1612, when it received its royal charter. The college began with a dean and twelve students who took classes at San Ildefonso College and the College of San Pedro y San Pablo. No classes were given in this building, but it was still called a college because it offered scholarships for students living there. The college almost closed in 1774 due to lack of funds, and was subsequently merged with San Ildefonso College in 1775. The present-day building was constructed between 1770 and 1780, replacing the one built by Vargas de Valdez. While it has a number of minor alterations over the years it is basically the same Baroque facade and a small patio, and is considered to be a prime example of an 18th-century residence. The facade is of two levels and faced with tezontle, a blood-red volcanic stone. Windows and doors of the main facade are framed with ', a greyish-white stone. The portal shares similarities with the Colegio Grande portal of the San Ildefonso College, with which this building was associated. The lower arch is flanked by paired columns, which are fluted only in the upper part. The upper level of the portal is profusely decorated with plant designs with estipite (inverted, truncated, slender pyramid) designs. The cornice is very simple, containing a relief of a crucifix. Upon entering the main door, there is a long, narrow hallway that leads to a very small patio area.

References

{{authority control Museums in Mexico City Cartooning museums Contemporary art galleries in Mexico Arts in Mexico City Landmarks in Mexico City National Monuments of Mexico 1612 establishments in New Spain Art museums established in 1987 1987 establishments in Mexico Baroque architecture in Mexico Spanish Colonial architecture in Mexico Historic center of Mexico City