Ex-Convento De Churubusco

Lonely Planet review

Scene of a historic military defeat, the 17th-century former Monastery of Churubusco stands within peaceful wooded grounds, 1.5km northeast of Plaza Hidalgo.

On August 20, 1847, Mexican troops defended the monastery against US forces advancing from Veracruz in a dispute over the US annexation of Texas. The Mexicans fought until they ran out of ammunition and were beaten only after hand-to-hand fighting.

The US invasion was but one example in a long history of foreign intervention, as compellingly demonstrated by the National Interventions Museum inside the former convento . Displays include an American map showing operations in 1847, and material on the French occupation of the 1860s and the plot by US ambassador Henry Lane Wilson to bring down the Madero government in 1913. (None of the explanatory text is translated into English.)

The superbly restored exhibit rooms, bordered by original frescoes, surround a small cloister where numbered stations provided instructions for meditating monks. Leaving the museum, you may wander amidst the monastery's old orchard, which now holds wonderful gardens.

To reach Churubusco, catch an eastbound 'M(etro) Gral Anaya' pesero or bus on Xicoténcatl at Allende, a few blocks north of Plaza Hidalgo. Alternatively, walk 500m west from the General Anaya metro station.