The
Building
The building that houses the Franz Mayer Collection is itself
a work of art from the viceregal period. Built in the late sixteenth
century to store and supply grains, the structure was originally
named Casa del Peso de la Harina.
At the end
of the century, Pedro Lopez, the first medical doctor to graduate
from the Real y Pontifica Universidad de México, established
a hospital to care for the needy, lepers, and single mothers unable
to care for their own children. In 1582, he purchased the Casa
del peso de la harina and transformed it into a hospice. It was
renamed Hospital de Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados.
After Pedro
López's death, his son Guiseppe inherited the hospital.
In 1604 the viceroy of Montesclaros, with the approval of Jusepe
López, gave the building to monks from the order of San
Juan de Dios. The building was renamed to Hospital of San Juan
de Dios. The monks remodeled and enlarged the building to meet
the increased demands for medical care.
Visit the
Museo Franz Mayer Site:
http://www.arts-history.mx/museos/franz/home.html
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