Hospicio Cabanas
The Hospicio Cabanas is located in the city of
Guadalajara, Mexico, in a World Heritage Site, housing one of
the oldest and biggest hospital complexes in Spanish America,
founded in 1791 by the Bishop of Guadalajara that wanted certain
functions combined in one place and so would house a workhouse,
almshouse, orphanage and hospital. Its name would come from Juan
Ruiz de Cabanas, who had been appointed see of the city in 1796
and then commissioned Manuel Tolsa, a well known architect from
Mexico City to come and design this unique structure. His design
would be based on classic examples like the El Escorial close to
Madrid and Les Invalides in Paris, with the structures formed
into a rectangle that measures 500 feet by 435 feet, considered
single storied structures that are 20 something feet high. The
chapel is twice the normal height, and has a dome that rises a
100 feet into the sky, and the entire complex has been built on
level ground, so it would be easier to move the aged, children
and sick. In 1823, Cabanas passed away, but the construction
would continue until 1829, but in the mid 19th century it would
be converted into barracks, but it would revert back to a
hospital that would continue into the 20th century and actually
function until 1980, when the Cabanas Cultural Institute moved
in, with affiliated schools for crafts and the arts. The most
distinguishing feature in the interior is the decorations of a
number of monumental frescoes that were created by Jose Clemente
Orozco, that included one of his most famous works, the allegory
of the Man of Fire that he painted in 1936 to 1939.
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