Destination: Hospicio Cabañas, Guadalajara
A Gem of Guadalajara, this old disadvantaged people's shelter is now a serene museum.
“Aesthetics with no ethical basis may produce interesting and even beautiful results, but not art. Art is a service. As long as art does not have a spiritual function, all our efforts will be condemned to lead a kind of popular art, made intellectual for the intellectuals.” -Mathias Goeritz
A bit north of the famous San Juan de Dios Market in Guadalajara, east of the renowned plazas and colonial architecture, lies a huge, often overlooked plaza next to the jewelry market. The plaza is largely empty but sports some nation’s flags, bronze statues, and the occasional roaming merchant offering flying children’s toys. Hospicio Cabañas’ plaza is the setting for a sprawling structure that is Hospicio Cabañas, a UNESCO world heritage site and former shelter for disadvantaged peoples turned art museum.
Behind Hospicio Cabañas’ massive wooden doors lies a bevy of treasures, free to view on Tuesdays and 80 pesos every other day of operation during the hours 11–5 pm (closed on Mondays). The architecture is colonial-style from the early 1800s, designed with a variety of open and closed areas, and many beautiful courtyards. There are a couple of large squares open to the public within the structure, as well as a coffee shop and souvenir store. But the real attractions of Hospicio Cabanas today are the works of art.
The crown jewel of Hospicio Cabanas is without doubt the chapel’s murals. An incredibly elaborate scene unfolds depicting mechanical conquistadores combating fleshy natives. The pictures portray war, death, and suffering, but also an indomitable spirit of human resistance. Ships, canons, and horses exist beside priests and their ghostly followers, fire and steel coincide with crosses and strange mechanical contraptions reminiscent of wood and flesh. In the dome lies one of the most fascinating images, a whirlpool of fire and souls, an image you might recognize from here.
Aside from the breathtaking murals of the chapel, rotating exhibits of abstract, traditional, 3D, and socially active art all periodically occupy the cabanas. My favorite exhibit was a special on Mathias Goeritz, a painter and sculptor with many wise quotes.
Overall, the Hospicio Cabanas is a gem of Guadalajara. The crowds are usually small, and the echoing hallways are a bit of a labyrinth. The energy is pensive and quiet, a phenomenal place to spend a silent afternoon absorbing culture; times I visited the welcoming nature of this structure was apparent, as a former shelter and also for tourists today. But the chapel’s artwork is enough by itself to warrant the entry price.
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