On December 4, 1865, Maximilian of Hapsburg decreed the establishment of the Public Museum of Natural History, Archeology and History (Museo Público de Historia Natural, Arqueología e Historia) in the building that had housed the Former Mint. It was formed with collections of the National Museum (Museo Nacional), founded in 1825 by Guadalupe Victoria, which up to then had been exhibited in the rooms of the University of Mexico.

Three months after its inauguration, on July 6, 1866, Maximilian presented its director, Domingo Bilimek, with several objects to be kept in that establishment.

Bilimek left as proof of that donation, a signed list in which the pieces donated by the emperor and those given by Empress Carlotta were detailed separately. The latter included the white satin ankle shoes or boots with floral motifs embroidered with crystal beads, which we can admire here.

These ankle boots have been preserved for a century and a half; first in the Former National Museum (Antiguo Museo Nacional) and later at Chapultepec Castle (Castillo de Chapultepec),  where Carlotta lived during part of her stay in Mexico. 

Funeral Handkerchief of Hernán Cortés

The museum not only houses objects that refer to several historical periods. There are also those that are important for their relation to the main characters in the transcendent moments of our history. A singular case is the white linen, black silk handkerchief, which according to historical records, was used to wrap the skull of Hernán Cortés.

Although the conquistador was buried for the first time in Seville, Spain, in 1547, he wanted to be buried in New Spain, in a monastery especially built for that purpose, in Coyoacán. The latter did not happen but his remains were brought back to the territory of New Spain in 1566, where they were exhumed and reburied on several occasions until 1794, when they were deposited in the Jesús Nazareno church next to the Hospital de Jesús in the capital.

Nevertheless, in 1823, it was decided to hide them in one of the temple’s walls to prevent their being desecrated due to the growing anti-Spanish sentiment as a result of the Independence. Historian Lucas Alamán left a record of this and also organized another “burial-hiding” in 1836, with the intention of preserving the bones with decorum. It’s believed that that was when the handkerchief was used to wrap the skull, although other research points to it being deposited there in 1794. It is certain that the remains and the handkerchief stayed hidden until 1946, when historians Francisco de la Maza and Alberto María Carreño found them by following the instructions left in a document by Alamán.

Although after having exhumed them, it was decided to return the remains to the niche, the handkerchief was taken to the newly inaugurated Museo Nacional de Historia in Chapultepec Castle, where they have remained up to the present. It is exhibited today after a careful restoration.

The beginnings of the attire collection

The men and women of the New Spain showed their economic status and social rank through their attire. This was more evident in women, who used attires made of luxurious fabrics that got their shape thanks to the underwear they used.

For court attire during the 18^th century, women used a “tontillo” (farthingale), a light structure with whalebone or metal hoops that extended the skirt towards the sides and that together with the corset made them look slimmer. The dress was open at the front to uncover the petticoat which was called a “brial”. The crinoline (miriñaque) became so wide that women had to pass through narrow spaces or doors, one by one; because of this, they preferred to use a narrower crinoline at home.

On the other hand, the use of the corset, which was made from whalebones covered with cotton, began in the 16^th century and was considered a symbol of social standing. Since its use hinders excessive efforts, using one showed one was a person of the higher class.

As an example of the attire of the time, we have four dresses obtained from the Former National Museum (Antiguo Museo Nacional) and considered among the most important pieces of the collection. They were donated to the museum by Mrs. Isabel Pesado de Mier, and marked the beginning of the dress collection, more than a century ago.

Today they return to the rooms for the temporary exhibit, after having been restored by the museum’s own staff and  by students from the school of Conservation, Restoration and Museography of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (Escuela de Conservación, Restauración y Museografía del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia).

18^th. Century men’s wear

During the three hundred years of viceregal rule, coexistance among the different social groups turned luxury, ostentation and opulence into a social necessity, since it was just as important to be a noble as to look like one. This was especially reflected through personal attire and so it was important to use luxurious brocades and velvets, textiles woven with silver or gemstones through the use of different techniques, some of which were brought from Spain.

The moneyed Spaniards from the peninsula and the Criollos (those born in the New World of Spanish parents) followed European clothing styles, importing the clothes or buying those made in New Spain in guild shops or independently in homes. Cotton weavers and those specialized in gold or silk, dyers, embroiderers, buttonmakers, silk spoolers, trim makers, seamstresses, tailors, shoemakers, chopine makers, hatters, glove makers, tanners, cap makers, makers of undergarments, weavers in general and those specifically dedicated to silk reproduced the trends in style, which was sometimes Spanish and others French or English.

In the last third of the 18th century, men’s wear was made up of a dress coat with decorative trim with braided silk or silver threads or with showy embroidery, pantaloons -which were called breeches at the time-, an embroidered waistcoat, white shirt, ruffles, cuffs with flounces and silk stockings. As an example of this, we have a dress coat, pantaloons, and a set of dress coat and pantaloons shown together in this exhibit. These pieces are part of a lot acquired in 1948 from Salvador Miranda and certified by collectors Franz Mayer and H.H. Behrens.