Museo Casa Juárez
Encyclopedia
The Museo de la Lealtad Republicana (Museum of the Republican Loyalty), also known as the Museo Casa Juarez, is 19th-century building in the city centre of Chihuahua, Chih.
, Mexico
. It housed the constitutional government of President Benito Juárez
during his stay in Chihuahua while Maximillian of Habsburg reigned as Emperor of Mexico supported by the French
, and was thus the de facto National Palace of Mexico.
Juárez lived-in and ran the constitutional government from the palace through December 1866. He left Chihuahua when the French forces and the Second Mexican Empire
had been almost totally defeated. After that the building reverted to being the Government Palace for the state administration. However, when the new palace was constructed a few blocks away, the Casa Juarez was turned into an educational institution, first as the Escuela Municipal Nro 3 for girls, then it was redesignated as Escuela Oficial Nro 140, and it was renamed Escuela Benito Juárez, a name it retained from 1926 to 1967, when it was closed.
It wasn't until 1972, during the observance of the centenary of the death of Benito Juárez, that the authorities decided to turn the building into a museum. Many objects and furniture original to the house had been lost long since, however the state government was, over the years during the planning stage, able to recover original furnishings, as well as period pieces similar to those that Juárez had used. In 2000 the restoration was finally complete and the re-named Museo de la Lealtad Republicana was opened to the public.
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It housed the constitutional government of President Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez born Benito Pablo Juárez García, was a Mexican lawyer and politician of Zapotec origin from Oaxaca who served five terms as president of Mexico: 1858–1861 as interim, 1861–1865, 1865–1867, 1867–1871 and 1871–1872...
during his stay in Chihuahua while Maximillian of Habsburg reigned as Emperor of Mexico supported by the French
French intervention in Mexico
The French intervention in Mexico , also known as The Maximilian Affair, War of the French Intervention, and The Franco-Mexican War, was an invasion of Mexico by an expeditionary force sent by the Second French Empire, supported in the beginning by the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Spain...
, and was thus the de facto National Palace of Mexico.
History
In 1826 the location was purchased by the state government to serve as the Palace of Government a role it fulfilled until the new impressive palace was inaugurated in 1892. On October 12, 1864, President Benito Juárez, fleeing from the French invasion, finally arrived in the city where he decided to establish his government-in-exile.Juárez lived-in and ran the constitutional government from the palace through December 1866. He left Chihuahua when the French forces and the Second Mexican Empire
Second Mexican Empire
The Second Mexican Empire was the name of Mexico under the regime established from 1864 to 1867. It was created by Napoleon III of France, who attempted to use the Mexican adventure to recapture some of the grandeur of earlier Napoleonic times...
had been almost totally defeated. After that the building reverted to being the Government Palace for the state administration. However, when the new palace was constructed a few blocks away, the Casa Juarez was turned into an educational institution, first as the Escuela Municipal Nro 3 for girls, then it was redesignated as Escuela Oficial Nro 140, and it was renamed Escuela Benito Juárez, a name it retained from 1926 to 1967, when it was closed.
It wasn't until 1972, during the observance of the centenary of the death of Benito Juárez, that the authorities decided to turn the building into a museum. Many objects and furniture original to the house had been lost long since, however the state government was, over the years during the planning stage, able to recover original furnishings, as well as period pieces similar to those that Juárez had used. In 2000 the restoration was finally complete and the re-named Museo de la Lealtad Republicana was opened to the public.