Standing proudly at the eastern end of the brilliant Plaza Tapatía is one of Guadalajara’s architectural icons – a Unesco World Heritage site, no less. Inside its enchanting neoclassical bones is a most unexpected series of modernist murals by José Clemente Orozco, which rank among the city’s best sights. The complex also houses a huge collection of Orozco's other work, plus modern works by the shining lights in Mexico's current art scene.
The beautiful building, which consists of masses of hidden arched courtyards, was founded by Bishop don Juan Cruz Ruiz de Cabañas and designed by Spanish architect Manuel Tolsá, between 1805 and 1810. Its original purpose was as an orphanage and home for invalids and it remained so for 150 years, housing 500 children at once.
Between 1938 and 1939 Orozco, one of the so-called' big three' of the Mexican muralist movement, channeled the archetypal struggle for freedom into 57 magnificent murals that now decorate the Capilla Mayor at the center of the complex. Widely regarded as Orozco’s finest works, they depict pre-Hispanic Jalisco and the conquest, and seethe with dark, unnerving and distinctly modern images of fire, armor, broken chains, blood and prayer. Given the issues of Orozco’s era, they almost certainly serve as a warning against fascism and any institution that subverts humanity to cultivate power.
Free tours of the institute in English and Spanish are available.
