Palace of the Inquisition

Coordinates: 19°26′16.34″N 99°8′0.18″W

The Palace of the Inquisition stands on the corner of

República de Brasil and República de Venezuela streets in
Palace of the Inquisition
Mexico City, Mexico. As neither side of the building faces Palacio de la Inquisición
Santo Domingo Plaza, the entrance is placed at a canted corner
to face the plaza. Its long association with the Inquisition,
which ended during the Mexican War of Independence, made
it difficult to convert to other purposes.[1] However, it
eventually became the School of Medicine for the
reconstructed National University (now the National
Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)). When UNAM
moved to the Ciudad Universitaria in the 1950s, it retained
ownership of this building, eventually converting the structure
in what is today the Museum of Mexican Medicine.[2] The canted facade facing Santo
Domingo Plaza
Inquisition in New Spain

General information
Architectural New Spanish Baroque
style
Address República de
Venezuela #33,
Centro Histórico,
Main portal Mexico City. C.P.
06010
From nearly the beginning of the colonial period until the Construction 1732
Mexican War of Independence, this spot has been the started
headquarters of the Inquisition in the colony of New
Completed 1736
Spain.[2][3] While the Tribunal of the Holy Inquisition was not
fully established here until 1571, the first cleric with Owner National Autonomous
inquisitorial duties was Martin de Valencia, who came to the University of Mexico
colony in 1524. The Dominicans, in whom the papacy had
invested Inquisition duties, arrived in 1526 and proceeded to build a monastery in the area occupied by
both the current palace and the Church of Santo Domingo. The first official Inquisitor for the colony, Pedro
Moya de Contreras, worked in the section of the monastery, where the palace would be built in the 18th
century.[2]

The Inquisition was officially established here due to a 1566 conspiracy led by Martín Cortés, son of
Hernán Cortés, threatened to make the new colony independent of Spain. The plot was denounced by
Baltazar de Aguilar Cervantes and Inquisition trials of various Criollos began. The accused were subject to
torture and harsh sentences, especially when before a magistrate by the name of Muñoz. The first victims of
this series of trials were the brothers Alonso and Gil Gonzalez de Alvila Alvarado. Despite having the
sympathy of the local citizens and of the chroniclers, both brothers were convicted. Their punishment was
to be decapitated, and their house, located on part of the site of the Templo Mayor, was razed to the ground,
and the site sown with salt[1]

The Inquisition here heard a number of other famous cases during its time, including the prosecution of the
Carbajal family for reversion to Judaism, and the case of Martin Villavicencio, alias Martin Garatuza,
famous for frauds including a long period of traveling the country posing as a priest, living fraudulently by
hearing confessions and saying mass without being ordained; his legendary frauds and escapes would
inspire one of the best-known 19th-century Mexican novels, Vicente Riva Palacio's Martín Gartuza.
Servando Teresa de Mier spent time in the jail here, and this court sentenced Miguel Hidalgo to defrocking
and excommunication before his 1811 execution. Soon after, in 1820, the Inquisition was officially
disbanded in Mexico.[1]

Architectural history
The building that stands at the site now was built between 1732 and 1736 by Pedro de Arrieta,[2] who also
worked on a number of other significant buildings in the city, including the Metropolitan Cathedral and La
Profesa Church. Even though Arrieta was famous for his work, he died broke shortly after the completion
of the Palace of the Inquisition, for which he received a daily wage of two pesos.[1]

Originally Arrieta constructed a two-story building, with a third floor added in the 19th century. As the
headquarters of the Inquisition, this building had hearing rooms, judges’ chambers, a secret chamber, a jail,
and accommodations for two inquisitors.[2] The palace was popularly known as the Casa Chata ("Flat-
faced House"). This referred to how its southwest corner being canted (seemingly cut off or pushed in) in
order to face Santo Domingo Plaza. Its jail was known as the "prison of an eternity" (la cárcel de la
perpetua), since many inmates were confined for life.[3]

Post-Inquisition history
After the end of the Inquisition, in 1838, it was put up for sale by
public auction, but no one offered the minimum price. It was finally
purchased by the archbishopric.[1] Later it served as lottery offices,
a primary school and a military barracks.[3] In 1854, it was sold to
the School of Medicine, which at the time was offering classes in
professors' homes. After the purchase, a number of changes were
made, and a boarding school created here.[1] Eventually, it would
become the school of medicine and nursing of the National
Main patio
University (today's UNAM)[3] In 1873, in despair over an
unrequited love, romantic poet Manuel Acuña committed suicide by
poison in a room here.[1] In 1879, after modification, the old chapel became the Academy of Medicine and
a third floor was added, which resulted in the removal of the crest which held the coat-of-arms of the
Inquisition.[1]

When all the faculties of UNAM, including the School of Medicine, moved to the Ciudad Universitaria in
the 1950s, this palace was is such poor shape that a number of its arches were in danger of falling.
Restoration work commenced shortly afterwards and was completed in 1980. In 1982, the building that
once was the prison was reintegrated into the main complex and since then has been used as a theater and
to accommodate the lectures of visiting professors.[1]

Today the building still belongs to UNAM and functions as the

First exhibition room of the museum
used for the teaching of diseases and pathologies.[4]
Museum of Medicine. This museum was inaugurated on 22
December 1980, and designed as a way to preserve the history of
medicine in Mexico as well as promote the values associated with
this field. It was also considered to be a way to conserve one of the
properties that UNAM still holds in the historic downtown area.
The museum has 24 rooms that cover the history of medicine in this
country, from pre-Hispanic times to the 20th century. Among its
collections are a room devoted to indigenous herbal medicine,
various rooms devoted to old medical equipment and machines, a
room about human development and a collection of wax figures

Description
Like many other buildings in the historic downtown, the facade is
covered in tezontle (a blood-red porous volcanic stone), with
windows and doors framed with chiluca (a grayish-white stone),
but the building has two main notable features. This first is that its
main portal is located at the southwest corner, which is canted (cut
off) in order to face Santo Domingo Plaza. Arrieta came up with the
idea, an innovation in New Spain. With this design, not only would
the building face the plaza, its two side streets would lead to its
door. This feature would earn the palace the nickname of "flat- A "hanging arch", with a boss (knob)
faced" (chata), and this idea was declared innovative and beautiful.
The other feature is the patio. The arches on the four corners do not rest on columns, but seem to hang from
the ceiling, similar to a vaulted ceiling. In fact, they are crossed arches that are supported by pillars attached
to the walls and the first columns on each side.[1]

Gallery

Plaza de Santo The plaza in 1883, The plaza in 1900,

Domingo in 1855, by by Thomas by Abel Briquet. The
Casimiro Brocklehurst.[7] The palace is at the
Castro.[5][6] The palace is in the background.
palace is at the back.
background.

See also
Plaza de Santo Domingo, the square where this palace is located.
List of colonial non-religious buildings in Mexico City

References
1. Galindo, Carmen; Magdelena Galindo (2002). Mexico City Historic Center (https://archive.or
g/details/mexicocityhistor0000unse/page/108). Mexico City: Ediciones Nueva Guia. p. 108
(https://archive.org/details/mexicocityhistor0000unse/page/108). ISBN 968-5437-29-7.
2. Horz de Via, Elena (1991). Guia Oficial Centro de la Ciudad de Mexico. Mexico City: INAH-
SALVAT. pp. 68–69. ISBN 968-32-0540-2.
3. Bueno de Ariztegui (ed), Patricia (1984). Guia Turistica de Mexico – Distrito Federal Centro
3. Mexico City: Promexa. pp. 71–72. ISBN 968-34-0319-0. {{cite book}}: |last= has
generic name (help)
4. "Museo de la Medicina Mexicana – Presentación" (https://web.archive.org/web/2009053114
5135/http://www.facmed.unam.mx/palacio/Museomm/MPresentacion.html) (in Spanish).
Archived from the original (http://www.facmed.unam.mx/palacio/Museomm/MPresentacion.ht
ml) on 2009-05-31. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
5. "México y sus alrededores. Colección de monumentos, trajes y paisajes" (http://www.cervan
tesvirtual.com/obra-visor/mexico-y-sus-alrededores-coleccion-de-monumentos-trajes-y-pais
ajes--0/html/00cfadda-82b2-11df-acc7-002185ce6064_59.htm). Miguel de Cervantes Virtual
Library Foundation. Spain. p. Lit. XVIII.
6. Guadalupe Lozada León (2019). "Palacio de la Inquisición" (https://relatosehistorias.mx/esta
-semana/palacio-de-la-inquisicion). Relatos e historias en México. Mexico: Editorial Raíces
S.A.
 7. Thomas Brocklehurst. Mexico to-day, a country with a great future; and a glance at the
prehistoric remains and antiquities of the Montezumas (https://archive.org/details/mexicotod
aycount00brocuoft/page/n62/mode/1up?view=theater). London. p. 32.

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