San Carlos Art School

Friar Juan de Zumárraga, Mexico’s first bishop and archbishop, was responsible for the construction of this 16th-century building that held the Real Hospital del Amor de Dios (Royal Hospital of the Love of God). 

Now known as Academia de San Carlos, it is an example of Italian Renaissance style. Its prefabricated art nouveau dome was made of iron and glass by the L. Lapeyre company in Paris. 

Part of the museum’s collection is devoted to stamps and numismatics. 

It also has a library holding more than 13 thousand volumes on art and design encompassing contemporary art, art theory, photography, textiles, women in the arts, graphic design, visual arts, editorial design, sculpture, urban art, numismatics, film, and jewelry. 

These days, the building is home to an art school and museum, the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas and the Museo de la Academia respectively, as well as galleries showing temporary exhibitions.