The ‘Iron Palace’ is Orizaba’s fanciful art nouveau landmark. The palace’s interior has been converted into half a dozen small museums. Most notable are the Museo de la Cerveza, tracking Orizaba’s beer industry; the Museo de Fútbol (soccer); the Museo de Presidentes y Banderas with info on every Mexican president as well as a whole load of flags, and the Museo Interactivo with a small planetarium and some science exhibits, including a bed of nails you can lie on.
Also on site are the Museo de Geográfico de Orizaba (geography of the Oeizaba area) and Museo de las Raíces de Orizaba (archaeological artifacts).
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, a master of metallurgy who gave his name to the Eiffel Tower and engineered the Statue of Liberty’s framework, designed this pavilion, which was built in Paris. Orizaba’s mayor, eager to acquire an impressive European-style Palacio Municipal, bought it in 1892. Piece by piece it was shipped, then reassembled in Orizaba.
