shapour bahrami
Museo Nacional de Historia
Chapultepec has the rather dubious distinction of being the only castle within North America to ever house actual sovereigns. It was originally constructed in 1725 on the orders of the Viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez, and was meant to be a large manor house for the Viceroy, who was the commander-in-chief of the Spanish colony, New Spain. During the Mexican War of Independence the castle was abandoned, and remained in a state of dereliction for several decades. It was eventually refurbished and turned into a Military Academy. It was in this capacity that the castle served as the site of the Battle of Chapultepec during the Mexican-American War in 1847. It was here according to folklore that six (possibly fictional) teenage cadets died defending the castle with one of the boys, Juan Escutia, wrapping himself in the Mexican flag and jumping to his death from the battlements to avoid the dishonor of it being captured by the American invaders.
Museo Nacional de Historia
Chapultepec has the rather dubious distinction of being the only castle within North America to ever house actual sovereigns. It was originally constructed in 1725 on the orders of the Viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez, and was meant to be a large manor house for the Viceroy, who was the commander-in-chief of the Spanish colony, New Spain. During the Mexican War of Independence the castle was abandoned, and remained in a state of dereliction for several decades. It was eventually refurbished and turned into a Military Academy. It was in this capacity that the castle served as the site of the Battle of Chapultepec during the Mexican-American War in 1847. It was here according to folklore that six (possibly fictional) teenage cadets died defending the castle with one of the boys, Juan Escutia, wrapping himself in the Mexican flag and jumping to his death from the battlements to avoid the dishonor of it being captured by the American invaders.