The Palacio de Cortés is a historic building located in the city of Cuernavaca, in the state of Morelos, Mexico. The building dates from the 16th century, in a Renaissance style and was built by order of Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of Mexico. Construction began in 1525, designed by Baldassare Peruzzi (he was the architect who completed Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome) and completed its main construction stage in 1535).
The Palacio de Cortés, built under the direction of Hernán Cortés reusing materials from Tlahuica constructions and indigenous labor, is one of the first civil and military works erected in the newly conquered territory.
The building was built on the ruins of a place called Tlatlocayacalli, which was used to deliver tributes to the Tlahuica cacique and seat of the Señorío de Cuauhnáhuac, as a fortress and served as the family residence of Cortés and seat of the Marquesado del Valle de Oaxaca during his government in the region.
From its completion until 1629 it was the home of Cortés, and later of his relatives. After 1629, the Palace was abandoned and used for many different purposes. By 1747, the building was restored, and it was established as the Royal Prison of Cuernavaca, where in 1815 José María Morelos y Pavón was imprisoned for three days. Later, the building was a barracks and government headquarters.
In 1910, on the occasion of the first centenary of Independence, an 18-meter-high tower with a clock was added to the façade, which was seriously damaged in the 2017 earthquake. In the 1920s, the building was restored and turned into a museum for the history and art of the region. In subsequent years, the museum was expanded and new collections and exhibits were added.
On the top floor of the palace are murals painted by Diego Rivera. In 1930 he worked with the fresco technique the motto “The History of Morelos: Conquest and Revolution”, on eight panels of 150 meters, which are in conservation by the National Institute of Fine Arts. Likewise, there are murals by the Spanish painter Salvador Tarazona on the pre-Hispanic and revolutionary eras, made on canvas frames in 1938.
In 2017, the Palacio de Cortés closed its doors for a major remodeling after the earthquake in September of that year, as it suffered damage to specific points of its architecture, especially the clock tower. The renovation included the restoration of the building’s façade, the renovation of electrical and mechanical installations, the installation of air conditioning and heating systems, and the construction of new areas for exhibitions and events.
The remodeling of the Palacio de Cortés has just been completed and the building reopened its doors to the public on March 30, 2023, now under the name of Museo Regional de los Pueblos de Morelos (MRPM), which houses a wide variety of permanent exhibitions and temporary exhibitions that cover the history, archeology and art of the region. In addition, the building is used for cultural and social events, and has a terrace with panoramic views of the city and is surrounded by large patios and gardens, and in some of them the remains of the pre-Hispanic temple that used to occupy this place are still preserved.
