The treasure of Maximilian of Habsburg found in the National Palace

The Paseo de la Reforma (formerly called Paseo de la Emperatriz), the interior of Chapultepec Castle and the Alameda Central have witnessed the passage of time in the city, but above all, the passage of Maximilian of Habsburg and Carlota, the imperial couple who arrived in the territory on May 28, 1864 to head the Second Mexican Empire.

However, these were not the only buildings that were modified by the emperor, since the National Palace, where the empress organized multiple social and political events, also underwent some transformations due to the decision of European marriage.

Although the place was not built by the couple, they took care of multiple changes to improve the look of what was to be the real office. According to information from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), one of the main alterations was the name, since it changed to “Imperial Palace of Mexico, and it was adapted as a place of foreign palace taste”.

However, the greatest treasure left to the building was “The Empress' Staircase”, which was built in the northern part of the Palace. The architect in charge of the planning and execution was Ramón Agea, who once shared that he “applied a principle of modernity, through the technique of “stereotomy”, which gives it an elegant appearance”.

Another peculiarity of this work is that the staircase is “blown up”. This is because it only comes out of the wall and is only anchored from the floor at the beginning and at the end. There is a story that tells that, due to Maximilian's protective character, he sent several people and even horses, to go up and down it and check his resistance, however, this did not convince Charlotte and he preferred never to use it.

It should be noted that, although this was the main treasure that is still used to this day, it was not the only one. An imperial chapel was also set up and according to data from the Government of Mexico “the pictorial work known as the Gallery of Iturbide was ordered to be created, in honor of the independence leaders”.

In addition, the couple who arrived in the Port of Veracruz on the Austrian warship called Fragata Novara were responsible for converting all the rooms on the front of the main façade into a single, immense hall, “intended for banquets, official receptions and festivals of the imperial court”.

On the other hand, the walls were covered with crimson tapestry with the imperial shield in gold. In the same way, furniture was brought from Europe such as “bronze candlesticks and white marble vases. The rooms were decorated with fine Austrian and French decorations.”

Likewise, the Habsburgs agreed that portraits of the main heroes of Mexico's Independence would be placed in the main corridors of the so-called “areas of the emperor”.

Like the Castle, it was adorned with a style of the European aristocracy. Another of his contributions was in the arrangement of the roof, which was in very poor condition. He was sent to rehabilitate and was given a “light and elegant” style that could be enjoyed by the Mexican upper class and even, ironically, by one of its greatest political adversaries: Benito Juárez.

Finally, it is important to detail that the oils in which the heroes of Independence are appreciated, where Miguel Hidalgo, José María Morelos y Pavón, Mariano Matamoros, Ignacio Comonfort, Ignacio Allende, Vicente Guerrero appear, among others, are kept and preserved thanks to the management of the couple.

KEEP READING: