Sitting on top of Chapultepec Hill, overlooking Mexico City, Chapultepec Castle (now the National Museum of History) is an incredible sight that you shouldn't miss out on if you are visiting Mexico City.
Nice video. As a note, Mexico was dominated by Spain until 1821, then we had the first Mexican empire. Then the fist republic and then the french invasion. The french put Maximilian von Habsburg in power and made Mexico (called second Mexican empire) a puppet state of the french empire and Chapultepec was his castle. When the second empire fell Maximilian was shot and his body was sent to Austria. He's the uncle of the last Austro Hungarian emperor who was beatified by the church for helping stop WWI and you can see both tombs in the royal cemetery in Vienna. The building that the Spanish used when they were in power in Mexico is Palacio Nacional where the current president lives. Fun fact, if Austria became a monarchy again a Mexican could become the emperor since a part of the upper Habsburg live in Mexico and are Mexicans by birth.
That is so interesting! I started to read up more on this history after I toured the castle, and it is incredibly interesting! There is so much history in Mexico. Thanks for the info! Have a blessed day!
But the building you see today is as you say really a result of Maximillian and to a lesser extent Santa Anna. When construction first started they had a straight fort and chapel in mind which only grew in splendor over the next 75 years. It is a magnificent building though. I have always been big on the American Civil War and Mexican American War studies so this place holds a special place in my heart
@@thegadflygang5381 It was all credited to Maximillian. He hired a lot of austrian, french, and mexican architects, engineers, and laborers to reconstruct the castle. A lot of the furniture that Maximillian and Carlota brought with them from europe are still in the castle to this day. Also the Paseo de la Reforma district that was shown in the video was due to Maximillians investments. And yea the american civil war is interesting! If that war never happened then we wouldn’t have Maximillian as emperor and would’ve stayed alive in Austria with his wife
I hope you get a chance to enjoy it! Just a note - the whole park is closed on Mondays, and it gets very busy on the weekends, so I would suggest going on a weekday or an early morning visit.
The Castillo de Chapultepec, located in Mexico City, is a historic castle perched atop Chapultepec Hill. It holds significant cultural and historical importance as it has served various purposes throughout its existence, including as a royal residence, military academy, and presidential palace. The castle's architecture blends European and Mexican styles, and its lush surroundings encompass Chapultepec Park, one of the largest urban parks in the world. The site also houses the National Museum of History, which showcases Mexico's rich history through its diverse exhibits and collections, making the Castillo de Chapultepec a symbol of Mexico's past and present. Thanks, Ben Troy Outdoors!
@Nmaggie61 They were actually Austrian (Maximilian) and Belgian (his wife Carlota aka Charlotte was a Belgian princess cousin of Britain's Queen Victoria). The Habsburgs though had family ties all over Europe (including Spain, France, Portugal, the German and Italian states, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, Sweden, UK, etc.) so Maximilian was also related to his wife. But the Habsburg line actually originates from Switzerland in the Medieval period. Still they are related to all European royal houses today.
Hi Christianne, I would suggest a weekday, in the morning. Chapultepec Park, including the castle, is very busy on the weekends - and the castle is free for Mexican citizens and residents on Sunday, so that's probably it's busiest day. The whole park is closed on Mondays, so I went on Tues morning when they opened at 9:00am, and there was only 6 people there. But it gets very busy in the afternoons, after 11:00am. I would also suggest exploring the rest of the park - there us so much to see and do! I made another video about that. There are also several museums within the park. Enjoy your time, Have a blessed day!
The Mexican Royal Family still existing in Monaco. Descendants of Maximilian and Iturbide. They can claim for the crown of México, Central América an part of the United States if one day the things change and the Original Mexican Empire returns. Who knows...
@@joelewishenry7886USA won't let that to happen. But if it does happen, things would be so different, really different and will rise a lot of conflict
George Pickett raised Old Glory from the roof after leading the ladder charge in the Mexican American War. History aside you really do see the brilliant European architecture and stained glass which makes sense considering Santa Anna and Maximillian thought of themselves as Napoleons of the West GREAT ENDING by the way brother. I genuinely appreciated your wise and touching words, they grounded me
Buen video , si aún sigues en la ciudad te recomiendo visites el espacio escultórico de la UNAM , es un conjunto de esculturas que se encuentran dentro de un pedregal el cual se formó debido a la erupción del volcán Xitle hace miles de años , mucha de la flora y fauna son endémicas , se encuentra abierto solo de lunas a viernes de 8 am a 4 pm , no lejos del lugar también puedes visitar cuicuilco, una zona arqueológica, la ciudad detuvo su crecimiento debido a la erupción del volcán y quedo enterrada por la lava , pudieron escapar y la poblacion emigró a las ciudades cercanas , principalmente Teotihuacan, espero disfrutes tu estancia y si tienes aún tiempo o puede regresar también vale la pena visitar los dinamos , para alguien que ama la naturaleza es un lugar muy especial :)
What else are you going to tell him that Juarez was a real hero and not an opportunist. Max loved Mexico and the indigenous tongue, passed many pro people reforms and didn’t take crap from napoleon and conservatives/elites
Under max, put in power by Mexican elites that got permission from napoleon. He wanted then people to have him their willingly, never backed down from conservatives/elites and was never napoleon’s goon
Yes, great video and story. Also, you said it so well that it does not matter who we all are or have been in this physical life, we will die and when we are all dead ok, then we are dead as everybody and never again coming back to this life. All kinds of people have lived everywhere and in different houses etc etc and when the time is up ok, that’s it. But yes, for those who has had that chance to own and build a little more in it’s own way just like this castle the people then can go and see the beauty for what it is. It’s like Craceland now is a museum after Elvis’s life so people can go and see and dream. Frida Kahlo’s place is open for people to go and see and dream so this life is only a dream a very short dream and that’s it. So, just like you now how you live your life, you live your dream now exploring and then some day even for you, it will be all over and just a dream. So, in the bigger picture about life, live and enjoy while you can because it will end. Amen 🙏
No, This was done and occupied during the French invasion war in Mexico, Maximilian was imposed by the French empire, Mexico had already become independent from Spain, no Spanish monarch habit there
Yes I got a lot of information from these comments, and I researched it some more and learned a lot. It's been a very interesting topic. Thanks for commenting!
They were set up by the French, but it was the royalist conservative Mexican aristocracy that traveled to France and asked Napoleon III and Maximilian to come rule over Mexico. Napoleon didn't need much convincing as he had already invaded Mexico planning to ally with the Confederacy in the U.S. Maximilian too didn't have much better prospects in Europe as his elder brother was to inherit the Austrian empire. That was actually part of the problem why Maximilian didn't last. He was very progressive and liberal minded, wanting to help the indigenous peoples of Mexico gain more education and footing. So the conservative Mexican aristocracy turned on him, at the same time Napoleon III withdrew his military support from Mexico due to increasing power struggles with Prussia back in Europe. And at the same time, Mexican rebels led by Benito Juarez wanted to get all European foreign powers out of Mexico. Although the U.S. couldn't help much because they were busy with the Civil War, they did support Juarez by sending them arms and munitions. Benito Juarez eventually became Mexico's first fully indigenous president after overthrowing and executing Maximilian. Juarez had a choice to spare his life (especially as European royals interceded on his behalf), but it was not possible because they had to send a strong message to Europe that Mexico wasn't going to tolerate more European powers coming to Mexico. Maximilian was not a bad guy (except for the fact he had mistresses in Mexico). He wanted to see Mexico better off. It just was not meant to be.
@@danmur2797 You mean selling arms to Mexico and the conservatives meeting with the French empire is a theory, there is no evidence of that, you are in the field of assumption of some historians
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It is very nice but it is not the only castle or royal palace in the Americas. Brazil was an empire for almost a century and the imperial family lived in Rio de Janeiro and had palaces in some other parts of Brazil. They spent most of their in Rio in this palace that got burned partially but now they are restoring. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hWxJtp2ddYA.html
The only castle of the Americas with royal family from a royal european linage, the Habsburgo, is in México, Just in Mexico, not in other place. Sorry but no.
@@Lleimzjames Just a short history lesson. Rio was the capital of the EMPIRE of Brazil and Portugal while Portugal was abandoned by the entire portuguese court due to the napoleónic invasión and they ruled the Empire from there. THEY WERE AN EUROPEAN ROYAL FAMILY THAT HAD HUGE POSSESSIONS IN THE AMERICAS, ASIA AND AFRICA..Not a second tier nobleman and his wife from Central Europe
So Mexico never had an emperor during Spanish rule. It only had viceroys, which all lived in the Mexican national palace located in the history center of Mexico. This is the same building that was build by Cortez when he first took over Mexico and it had always been the seat of government ever since. Then, Mexico gained its independence, and it adopted a monarchy under King Iturbide of Mexico. Yet, just like the viceroys, King Iturbide also lived in the national palace. But, this king only lasted about 2 years in power, and he was then removed by the now famous Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who eventually became emperor. But Santa Anna, like every Mexican ruler before him, also lived in the national palace. It was not until France invaded Mexico and placed Maximilian as Emperor that this finally changed. This castle was actually built as a military academy, but then it was changed to a fortress. That fortress was even used in the Mexican-American war to defend against American invaders. You can even see some bullet holes in the walls to this day. But, when Maximilian was placed as emperor of Mexico, he chose this building as his new home. He ended up bringing in many architects from Europe to remodel the fortress and change it into a palace.
