Visiting the Archives, or Going to Jail?
After the famous tourist attractions in Mexico City, such as the Templo Mayor, the Frida Kahlo House, or the Anthropological Museum, the Black Palace is not among the most frequented sites. In a way, it's not surprising, since the building houses the National Archives today, and old documents may not be on top of everyone's list of interests. Personally, I couldn't care less myself for these material manifestations of state bureaucracy. What makes this place still worth a visit, is it's history, as one of the most notorious Mexican prisons of the 20th century.
New Ideas for an Old Concept
It was back in 1900, during the reign of our beloved dictator Porfirio Díaz, that the most modern prison of Mexico was inaugurated. The idea was to offer a place where criminals would not merely be isolated from the rest of society and pay for their evil deeds in the currency of time, but be reformed, and re-educated, so they could re-enter the civilized culture as new human beings. Ironically, these lofty ideas were to be put in practice in a typical prison building, complete with walls, bars, and grumpy guards, located at the edge of the city, just as removed from society as prisons usually tend to be. Today, however, the building looks more like a castle (hence the nickname Black Palace) and is right in the middle of the city, incidentally just next door to the TAPO bus station. So for anyone having to wait a few hours for a bus, it offers a great way to kill time without venturing too far.
Archives Museum
Even those visitors who just come to see the museum are constantly reminded that they are in the archives, more so than in a former penitentiary. The exhibits behind the entrance, give a little historical overview of how official documents have been handled in Mexico, including the shocking story of using some paperwork literally (no pun intended) as canon fodder during the Invasion from the United States in the 1840's.
The Jailhouse is Revealed
Later on, once past the former flags and original music sheets of the national anthem, the prison aspect of the museum becomes more apparent. This is also, where the unique architectural features can be seen. The logo of the museum, the seven spokes of various lengths around a hub, actually resembles the shape of the hallways. A geodesic dome covers the center circle where these halls converge. While the building functioned as prison, this is where the guard tower stood (doubling as water tower), providing a convenient view over the roofless hallways, leading to the cells on both sides. Today's occupants of these cells are documents, which in my opinion is a much more dignified use of the tiny space.
A Progressive Approach to Dealing With Prisoners
The exhibit panels under the center dome also tell the story of the prison, which is what I was most interested in. Originally it followed the Croffton model, according to which a criminal could be reformed into being a valuable member of society, given the proper time and hard work. Prisoners had to pass through three stages: first came solitary confinement, reflecting the punishment approach known in traditional penal systems. The next stage was marked by hard work, communal interaction (with other prisoners), and finally, before being released into society, the preparatory stage for freedom. The information doesn't go into much detail here, but somehow I guessed the prisoners were still not free to leave the premises.
Where Good Intentions Lead...
What was considered lofty and progressive at the time soon became corrupted into less effective mechanisms, so in the end we have no way of knowing if this liberal approach to re-educating criminals actually worked (at least in this particular social experiment). For example, while the original capacity of the prison was just under a thousand, by the time it was shut down in 1976 there were close to 4000 prisoners detained within its walls. By that time the penal practice had also moved away from the Croffton model, and prisoners considered hopeless cases were given their special cells in a circular structure between two corridors. Though the cell walls are no longer in place, the place where they used to run gives us an idea of the confines of their occupants.
A Special Place in Prison
Two by four meters (equaling 8 square meters or 86 square feet) was the cell space. In front of it ran a roofless corridor towards the center, where a guard tower offered an unobstructed view into the cells. A medieval dungeon had more privacy. On the other side, in a corner between two corridors was a similar circle, reserved for political prisoners. Interestingly, their cells were somewhat bigger, with a floor space of about 10 square meters (108 square feet). This is where José Revueltas was imprisoned, an important figure in Mexican literature with communist tendencies, who played an important role in the student revolts of 1968. Ironically, the entire circle is dedicated to this famous prisoner, displaying many photos featuring him around the walls.
Still Worth a Visit
While the Palacio Negro de Lecumberri is not much more than that, it is definitely worth a short visit. Alone the architecture of the building is noteworthy, and together with its history of prison and archives it offers a spectacular glimpse at Mexico's official past and present. Most of all, it all can be enjoyed and absorbed in a couple of hours, and the visitor still has time to return to TAPO to catch their bus.