Cerro de las Campanas
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About
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Why go
- The execution site of Emperor Maximilian I and Generals Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía, ending the Second Mexican Empire and French intervention.
- The neo-Gothic Emperor Maximilian Memorial Chapel, visible from outside.
- The east-facing, 13-metre Benito Juárez monument on the western side of the summit plaza.
- The museum’s five permanent exhibition rooms.
About the work
- artist
- Juan Fernando Olaguíbel Designed and sculpted the Benito Juárez monument.
Interesting facts3
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Only two ringing rocks remain on display after visitors took fragments.
Cerro de las Campanas - Wikipedia -
240 plant
More than 240 plant and animal species live in the park, including eight at risk and 52 introduced species.
Cerro de las Campanas - Wikipedia -
The base of the Juárez monument bears his saying that respect for others’ rights brings peace.
Cerro de las Campanas - Wikipedia
History
The first monument, chapel, national park, fairgrounds and university campus changed the hill over time. Today, the surrender obelisk marks a point about 350 metres from the execution site; the execution crosses are kept in the on-site Museo de la Magia del Pasado.
- 1867On May 15, Maximilian surrendered his sword to General Mariano Escobedo on the eastern slope, where a small obelisk now stands. He was imprisoned on the hill with Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía, and a court-martial in Querétaro sentenced all three to death. They were executed on June 19, about 350 metres from the surrender site.
- 1886Governor Rafael Olvera commissioned the first monument on the hill: three inscribed stone columns enclosed by iron bars and wooden supports.
- 1900After diplomatic relations between Mexico and Austria resumed, Emperor Franz Joseph I commissioned a chapel in memory of his brother Maximilian. Austria began construction to a design by Viennese architect Maximiliano von Mitzel.
- 1901Bishop Rafael Sabás Camacho y Guzmán blessed the chapel on April 10.
- 1937Lázaro Cárdenas del Río declared the hill a national park on July 7.
Show all
- 1950sThe Querétaro State Fairgrounds occupied the hill’s western slope before later moving.
- 1967A Benito Juárez monument by sculptor Juan Fernando Olaguíbel and a new esplanade were inaugurated on May 15.
- TodayThe hill’s southern and western slopes passed from the fairgrounds to the Autonomous University of Querétaro, whose main campus was dedicated in December. The wooden execution crosses are now kept in the on-site Museo de la Magia del Pasado.
How to get there
- On footOn Av. Universidad in Querétaro City, the hill is surrounded by the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro central campus. From the south, a staircase leads to the 53-metre-diameter stone-paved summit plaza, which has a perimeter balustrade.
Sources: Cerro de las Campanas - Wikipedia · Cerro de las Campanas - Wikipedia · checked 10 Oct 2026
Questions and answers
When is Cerro de las Campanas Park open?
Daily, 06:00–18:00.
Can you go inside the chapel at Cerro de las Campanas?
No. It can only be viewed from outside.
Where are the original execution crosses from Cerro de las Campanas?
They are in the Museo de la Magia del Pasado on the hill.
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