Casa del General José Joaquín Herrera

The Casa del General José Joaquín Herrera is today the library for the private Franciscan University of Simón Bolívar. The house is historically significant in that it briefly served as the head of the provisional Mexican government.

This was during the administration of the 15th Mexican president, José Joaquín Herrera. A general in the army he was president in 1844 and for most of 1845, and then again from 1848 until early 1851. His home housed the government during the occupation by the U.S. Army.

• José Joaquín Antonio de Herrera (1792–1854) was a military and moderate liberal politician. He served three times as President. He was decisive before and during the U.S. invasion between 1846 and 1847, and especially important during the recovery from that conflict.

Although not a great deal of the property remains intact, the main façade and entryway remain. The iron gateway is also original.

The university was founded in 1944 as the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. It became a university in 1981, offering bachelor’s level programs in graphic design and biology. Today they offer some bachelor’s and master’s degrees in some 25 fields. The Casa del General José Joaquín Herrera is not often opened to the public, but as a university library it’s still an important point on the map.