Los Pinos

Since December 2018, the former presidential complex has operated as a cultural space.

History

After the Spanish Conquest, around 1550, a trapiche (mill) was built in Chapultepec, where wheat and maize were processed into flour. This mill became so important that it was later called the Molino del Rey ("The King's Mill").

In 1853, the Molino del Rey was sold to Doctor José Pablo Martínez del Río, who built the Casa Grande ("Grand House") that would later become known as Rancho La Hormiga ("The Ant Ranch"). In 1865, the whole property was sold to Emperor Maximilian for a total of 25,000 Mexican pesos. Following the 1867 overthrow and execution of Maximilian, the property was, in 1872, returned to Doctor Martínez del Río.

Government residence

In 1917, with the end of the armed phase of the Mexican Revolution, President Venustiano Carranza expropriated the properties. So that his most trustworthy cabinet member could live there, he paid N$886,473 for both the property and the construction of a residence that would be close to Chapultepec Castle, which at the time was used as the official residence. Because of this, the first inhabitant of the residence was Álvaro Obregón, while he held the post of Navy and War Secretary. After his tenure, the residence was unused.

In 1934, President Lázaro Cárdenas took office but refused to use the Castle of Chapultepec as his official residence, as he thought it too ostentatious. He was offered use of Rancho la Hormiga (The Ant Ranch), which he accepted. He changed its name to Los Pinos (The Pines) for two reasons: first, he did not consider the name La Hormiga to be accordant with the residence of a President and, second, he promised his wife that when he became president, the house they shared would be named after the huerta in Tacámbaro, Michoacan, where they met.

Los Pinos was home to thirteen of the fourteen presidents in office between 1935 and 2018, with the exception of Adolfo López Mateos (1958–1964). In 2000, President Vicente Fox chose one of the nearby cottages as his home and the Casa Miguel Alemán (residence of most prior presidents) was used for offices and other government functions.