MUSEUM

After I purchased the ruin I learned it was the original birthplace of Maria Felix, a woman I have always admired. Over the past 4 years I have become more and more interested and enchanted with Maria's life and have collected over 400 pictures of her.

I founded the museum in 2002 to honour and preserve the memory of this powerful, intelligent and talented woman and the contribution she made to the history of Mexico and it has been a labour of love! I call it the living museum as it continúes to evolve, grow and change.

We have a collection of over 200 artifacts discovered on the property primarily during construction – coins, perfume bottles, machetes, ivory dresser set, pistol and swords, plus a growing selection of original paintings by leading Sonoran artists Fernando Zamacona, Carmen Garcia, Anna Malby and Luis Pena as well as many photographs and newspaper clippings.

The delightful bougainvilla-covered Galeria de Maria opened December 14, 2002 hosts six large murals painted by other leading artists of Sonora – Karla TrujilloZavla; Pedro Fernando Quiroz; Richardo Valenzuela Payan; Angel Luzanilla Beltrán; Carlos Leon and Guillermo Alonzo, nephew of Maria’s life-time friend and mentor and one of Mexico’s leading movie producers. These extremely gifted artists came unsolicited, donated their time and talent and created an everlasting monument to the leading lady of Alamos and Sonora.

The museum is open daily from 10 am to 4 pm. For visitors not staying at the hotel, there is an entrance fee of 10 pesos ($US1.00) for adults and 5 pesos (50 cents) for children under 12.

The museum is non-profit with all proceeds, since December 2005, being donated to Amigos Para La Protección de Los Animales de Alamos an association very dear to me. Prior to 2005 donations were divided between the Good Samaritan Lunch Program for Children, DIF and the Indigenous Peoples.