Description of the attraction
The Palace of the Inquisition is located at the intersection of the streets of the Republic of Brazil and the Republic of Venezuela, in the center of the Mexican capital. Due to its bad historical fame, it was not easy to use the palace as an administrative building for any organization. The School of Medicine of the National University did not last long there. In the 1950s, the school moved to the University campus, and it was decided to open the Museum of Mexican Medicine here.
The palace was erected in the 18th century, but in 1820 the Inquisition in the country was officially banned. The building was reconstructed in the 70s of the last century. The palace has two features that distinguish it from the neighboring buildings. The main portal of the building was cut off, according to the architect's idea, this was done so that one could see the Santo Domingo square, and two streets, at the intersection of which the palace rises, would lead to its doors. The second feature is the patio, the arches of which in the corners are not supported by columns, but as if they are hanging in the air. In fact, the arches are held by pillars attached to the walls.
Now the building is owned by the University of Mexico and is the Museum of Medicine. It was opened on December 22, 1980. The museum consists of 24 rooms, the exhibits of the museum tell about the history of Mexican medicine from pre-Hispanic times to the 20th century inclusive. The museum has several expositions, for example, one of them is devoted to local herbal medicine, others to ancient medical equipment, there is also an exposition telling about the development of human diseases and pathologies, it includes a collection of wax figures that were exhibited for demonstration to novice doctors. Some of the museum's exhibits can really shock visitors.
