There are many reasons for the importance of this great house of the XIXth century:

• Located around the most important square in the city of Campeche along its history

• Natal house of one of the most important characters known in the whole continent, "the Teacher of America" Don Justo Sierra Méndez.

• Place where Empress Carlota lodged during her stay of six days in Campeche, in the year of 1865.

Identified with the number 2, this house is located on the Street 57 (before Hidalgo) in the intersection with street 8 (before Calle de la Muralla), in the heart of the historical center of the city of Campeche.

Its construction goes back to the XIX century, in the vicinity of the square known through its history with the following names: Plaza de Armas , Plaza Mayor, Plaza de la Constitución, Plaza de la Independencia, y Plaza Principal (Plaza of Weapons, Great Plaza, Plaza of the Constitution, Plaza of the Independence, and Main Plaza, as it is known at the present time). In the same century it was modified several times, being the last one in the XX century where some elements as the finishes off of the corner in the facade and the second level were added.

This property was risen in the Southwest side of the main square of the old village of San Francisco de Campeche; it had in its front a garden on the center, and to the left the galleries of the adjacent houses, separated by a narrow alley. Originally its main entrance was the number 2 of the street 57, the other facade faced to the sea on the street 8, which was defended by a wall canvas that ran between the Puerta de Mar (Sea Door) and the Baluarte de la Soledad (Soledad's Rampart).

In this large house, belonging to his grandfather D. Santiago Méndez e Ibarra, was born the considered "Teacher of America", Don Justo Sierra Méndez, son of the no less illustrious character of the political and literary life in Yucatan Don Justo Sierra O'Reily and of a virtuous woman, Mrs. Concepción Méndez; this event took place on January 26 1848.

Here, Justo Sierra Méndez lived the first ten years of his life, before his father was forced to move the family to the city of Mérida because of the political problems that he had, related with the first independent movement on August 7, 1857 in which practically his house was assaulted, his family feinted and forced to abandon the State. The furniture and files were destroyed, among those there were unpublished works and old books of great value collected along an entire work life.

In 1865, Empress Carlota visited Campeche. During her visit, from December 11 to 16, the house was, prepared purposely for this unprecedented historical event for the population of that time.

The property has had diverse changes and uses through time; the building was fragmented and sold to private individuals. At the moment we can see it totally occupied for trade purposes; the low plant by the restaurants Campeche and del Parque, and the hotel Campeche that also embraces the whole second level, that is, most of the original building.

Today we can see in the main facade, an allusive and commemorative badge of the birth of this eminent person from Campeche in this historical house of street 57.

The property in its external appearance presents the predominant type of decoration in Campeche in the XIX century. The entrance is on Street 57, from here you access to a vestibule that leads to another space, where the stairways are located, it communicates with the central patio. From this patio passing through an polilobulated arch you arrive to a smaller patio. The interior of the building presents an alteration from the original walls at the moment due to the modifications that it suffered when it became a hotel in 1939 (hotel Campeche).

It is possible that under the present bricks which cover all the walls there are traces of the original doors and windows.

The facade is a rhythmic alternate of doors and balconies, with pilasters from two different orders set vertically in the horizontal rhythms, and a cornice, which constitutes a typical facade in the enclosure.

Lately, minor interventions took place in the buildings facade and in some of the walls, most of all for maintenance purposes under the supervision of INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and history).

Polilobulated Arch: arch formed by many circle portions

Cornice: mold that crowns the facade or the top of a wall

Pilaster: support element, of square section that stands out of a wall.

Ware Dora y Beatty, Betty. Diccionario Manual Ilustrado de Arquitectura Ediciones G. Gili, S.A. de C.V. México , 1990

Enciclopedia Yucatanense. Editorial Cultura, México, D.F., 1994 Pág. 205 y 401.

Ofrenda, organo del copité pro centenario del Maestro Justo Sierra Tomo I. Gobierno del Estado de Campeche, 1998, Pág. 201

Alvarez Francisco. Anales históricos, colección San Francisco de Campeche tomo II. Campeche, 1991. Pág. 57-59

Ortiz Lanz, José Enrique. Estudio sobre Edificios para el ;Museo Regional de Campeche. Campeche 1984.

"Catálogo de Monumentos Históricos". Departamento de monumentos históricos del Centro INAH Campeche, 1990.