Skip the beaches, miss the tacos, but never this: Cabañas Museum, where Orozco’s fire still burns, reminding Guadalajara and the world what art can survive.

The Cabañas Museum is one of the most important cultural centers in Mexico.

In the very heart of Guadalajara, it’s an important reference site in Art History and Architecture of Mexico.

The complex of buildings dates from the19th century.

The complex has been witness to the cultural and artistic evolution of the entire region.

Founded in 1803 as the The House of Charity and Mercy (Casa de Caridad y Misericordia) it was originally planned by the Bishop of Guadalajara, Juan Cruz de Cabañas y Crespo.

It still bears his name. The building itself went up between 1805 to 1810, based on the architectural design of Manuel Tolsá.

It suffered during the long movement for independence and served eventually as a barracks, prison, and a hospice.

Between 1828 and 1845, it was restored and only then was the towering dome completed. But the building is arguably most famous for the 1938-1939, murals of José Clemente Orozco.

Finally in 1983, it became the headquarters of the Cabañas Cultural Institute, and in 1992, the Jalisco Ministry of Culture established their headquarters here.

As the Hospicio Cabañas the site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Since 1980, the museum has been hosting important national and international exhibitions.

With 23 patios, 106 rooms, 78 corridors, and two chapels, the place is remarkable in a hundred different ways.

The Man of Fire mural, in the central vault of the building and is often cited as a masterpiece of the 20th century. But the complex itself is a masterpiece of the 19th.

Guests arrive to see the ongoing exhibitions, but the corridors and galleries mean its always a wonderful place to wander in.