El Museo Universitario del Chopo, known as El Chopo

The history of El Museo Universitario del Chopo, known as El Chopo, is an interesting one.   The building, which holds the museum, was built in 1902 for the Exhibition of Industrial Art of Düsselorf in Germany.

That same year the building was transported by sea to the city of Veracruz, México and then by railroad to Col. Santa María la Ribera, near the old train terminal of Buenavista in México City.  The old train station is gone, but today the Buenavista terminal is the stop for México City’s Metro, MetroBus stop and the Ferrocarril Suburbano de la Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México which is a suburban railway that leads to several state of México cities.

El Chopo had been closed for a couple of years for remodeling and it was time for the unveiling: and I was there.  The Chopo Museum, in Col. Santa Maria la Ribera, my hood finally opened the evening of May 19, 2010.   El Chopo is such a wonderful building and museum; only blocks away from my home.

I had heard a lot about the building the whole time I have been living in Col. Santa Maria la Ribera, but had not been into the spectacular place so I was excited about stepping foot in the building.

I went to the opening with my landlady Mely.  Mely, who is almost 70 years of age, grew up with El Chopo when it was known as the Natural History Museum and later abandoned when the museum moved.  When El Chopo was later rescued by UNAM and inaugurated on November 25^th 1975 as the “Museo Universitario del Chopo,” the  ‘El Chopo’ University Museum, Mely was there.  Mely even worked at the museum for a time, so I thought going to the opening with her would be a wonderful thing to do:  NOT!

The moment we walked into the Chopo, Mely hated it.  She hated everything about the remodeled Chopo: the inside structure that was built to expand the exhibit space, she even hated the lighting inside El Chopo.

Mely is one that gets around and knows many people and every time someone would stop to speak to her, she would start her, I HATE IT ….  Every time she spoke it was like she was running finger nails on a blackboard.  We hadn’t been in El Chopo long and only made it half way through the first floor exhibit area when she turns around and says, “let’s leave.”  I thought WHAT?  I didn’t know the old Chopo and what I was seeing I most appreciating.

I was looking at this architectural wonder created by Enrique Norten, the architect of the new Museo del Chopo, and she wanted to leave.  I said no, I am not leaving.  I am glad Mely had invited a neighbor friend of hers to go too, so while they went in one direction I stepped backwards in the other direction and got lost into the crowd.  Something I learned from watching The Three Stooges.

It wasn’t long before I left Mely and her neighbor and I ran into people I knew, so we walked the whole museum, meeting new people: painters, photographers, etc.  It was GREAT. Even made it to an after party and dinner too.

click photo above for slide show of opening reception – a self-portrait

El Chopo Museum is located in Col. Santa Maria la Ribera, Dr. Enrique González Martínez no. 10. Taking the MetroBus get off at the Chopo stop; walk one block.  Taking the Metro, get off at the Buenavista stop and walk three blocks SW.  Can’t miss this wonderful cathedral-like building and a must stop and see when in Col. Santa Maria la Ribera – I mean México City.