Museo de la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público

Museo de la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público

Museum of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit
Location	Moneda Street #4 in the historic center of Mexico City.
Director	José Ramón San Cristóbal Larrea
Website	Museum Site

TheMuseo de la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Públicois anart museumlocated in thehistoric centerofMexico City.It is housed in what was the Palacio del Arzobispado (Palace of the Archbishopric), built in 1530 under Friar Juan de Zumárraga on the base of the destroyed pyramid dedicated to the Aztec godTezcatlipoca.It remained the archbishphoric until 1867 when the Finance Ministry Accountancy Department was established there.The modern museum houses an exhibit dedicated to this god as well as a large art collection.

History

The building was the colonial archbishop's palace and contains two stone-columned courtyards.In 1530, Friar Juan de Zumárraga became the firstarchbishopofNew Spain,which at that time included most of the Americas and thePhilippines.He decided to place theseein two houses near where thecathedralwould later be built. After initial adaptation, two structures were added: one to cast bells and the other served as a prison. The structure continued to be modified until 1771 when it attained the appearance still seen today. The complex is topped by acorniceon with inverted arches are combined withmerlons.Twoestipitecolumns flank the bay of the portal, through which the highest ecclesiastical authorities of colonial times once passed.Remnants of the pyramid of Tezcatlipoca can be seen on the ground floor.This is because of a restoration project concluded in 1997. Along with restoring the colonial building, two excavations were carried out to expose details of the pre-Hispanic structures.

Imprisoned here was one of the first conspirators forMexican Independence,Francisco Primo de Verdad y Ramos, who died here in 1808.

Interior patio of the SHCP Museum.

Museum

Mural "Canto a lo Heroico" by Jose Gordillo in the main stairwell.

Portion of museum dedicated to the site of the building, displaying pre-Hispanic artifacts found here.

The modern museum houses a collection of art from the 18th to 20th centuries, including works byJuan Correa,Diego Garcia,Rufino Tamayo,Federico Cantú,Antonio Ruiz,Adolfo Best MaugardandRaúl Anguiano.The central and permanent exhibit is called the "Pago en Especie y Acervo Patrimonial" (payment in kind and cultural heritage). It features works done by Mexicans and foreigners living in Mexico, many of whom donated the works here in lieu of paying their taxes,as part of a program initiated in 1957 as part of an initiative to stimulate artistic activity in Mexico for Mexico. The program's foremost promoter was artistDavid Alfaro Siqueiros.

However, the idea did not really take off until the 1970s when Jaime Saldívar,Inés Amor,Gilberto Aceves Navarrorepromoted Siquieros' idea, gaining backing from presidentLuis Echeverría Álvarezin 1975. The revived project has enjoyed enthusiastic support from contemporary artists such asLuis López Loza,Roberto Doniz,Luis Nishizawa,Ángela Gurría,Roger von Gunten,Francisco Corzas,Feliciano Béjar,Francisco Capdevilla,Fernando Castro Pacheco,Arnaldo Coen,José Luis Cuevas,José Chávez MoradoandArnold Belkin,among others, many of whom still make donations to the museum's collection. Because of this, the museum has been able to assemble exhibits of works by individuals such asRodolfo Morales,Rafael Coronel,Manuel FelguérezandVicente Rojo.The museum also hosts temporary exhibits, mostly of contemporary art.