Palacio de Gobierno

Birth of a Nation
The Palacio de Gobierno or State Capital Building is a lovely 19^th century neoclassical building with a tie to the birth of Mexico as a nation. It is the site of the assassination of Mexico’s founding father (literally) Fr. Miguel Hidalgo, who was executed by firing squad in the building’s courtyard square. He had been captured by the Spanish after he started calls for Mexico’s independence (also known as «el grito») and housed in this remote northern state capital until his eventual death. The bottom floor houses a small macabre museum of sorts. The calabozo de Hidalgo, is the preserved jail cell of Fr. Hidalgo as it was prior to his execution.
The building served has passed from legislative assembly house until the mid nineties to museum and auxiliary government building. In the fifties and sixties, beautiful murals depicting the history of Chihuahua were painted by Aarón Piña Mora in the Mexican Mural style made popular by Diego Rivera. They cover most of the first two floors of the courtyard. They feature the conquistadors, the indigenous people of Chihuahua, Father Hidalgo and most of the leaders of the revolution. It ends with scenes depicting the current age of the state.
Paints a Picture