Museo de la Caricatura (Caricature Museum) in Mexico City, Mexico
Established in 1987 by the Mexican Society of Cartoonists, this museum celebrates the country’s rich cartooning tradition. Political cartoons have long been popular in Mexico, reflecting its tumultuous history and the people’s relationship with the authorities. Some of the oldest works here are by the famed José Guadalupe Posada, whose skeleton cartoons illustrated political and parodistic broadsides in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of these would become the Calavera Catrina (Female Dandy Skull), now an icon of Day of the Dead imagery. Originally, it was meant to mock Mexico’s well-dressed women at a time when imported French fashion was in vogue. Publishers tailored the accompanying text to parody the elite or working-class merchants who preferred to trade with chickpeas over native Mexican products, earning it another nickname: Calavera Garbancera (Garbanzo-Selling Skull). This example highlights how widely distributed Mexican illustrations often speak truth to power. The museum uses cartoons from other decades, up to the 2024 election and subsequent Claudia Sheinbaum presidency, to show the power of single pictures. Multi-paneled comics also form a significant part of the exhibitions, ranging from newspaper strips to comic series like La Familia Burrón by Gabriel Vargas and Memín Pinguín, created by Yolanda Vargas Dulché and later illustrated by Sixto Valencia Burgos, among others. Memín Pinguín and artist Valencia are highlighted in the museum, given the character’s particular history. Created in 1943, Memín and his mother—both Afromexican (or possibly Cuban immigrants)—were originally drawn in a stereotypical style common at the time. The character’s enduring popularity led to comics and even postage stamps featuring him abroad. In 2005, controversy arose in the United States due to his design, resulting in debates that raised points about judging the character’s appearance versus personality, as well as the reluctance to redesign the character over decades. In addition to the stories of La Catrina and Memín Pinguín, the museum showcases other well-known Mexican publications, like the superhero Kalimán and the erotic comics of El Libro Vaquero (The Cowboy Book). Built in the 1770s, the site was once a dormitory for students of the Real Colegio de Cristo (Royal College of Christ). Despite the age of its location, the museum is constantly updated. Members of the Cartoonist Society can often be found here for conversations and staffing the well-stocked shop.
Established in 1987 by the Mexican Society of Cartoonists, this museum celebrates the country’s rich cartooning tradition. Political cartoons have long been popular in Mexico, reflecting its tumultuous history and the people’s relationship with the authorities. Some of the oldest works here are by the famed José Guadalupe Posada, whose skeleton cartoons illustrated political and parodistic broadsides in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
One of these would become the Calavera Catrina (Female Dandy Skull), now an icon of Day of the Dead imagery. Originally, it was meant to mock Mexico’s well-dressed women at a time when imported French fashion was in vogue. Publishers tailored the accompanying text to parody the elite or working-class merchants who preferred to trade with chickpeas over native Mexican products, earning it another nickname: Calavera Garbancera (Garbanzo-Selling Skull).
This example highlights how widely distributed Mexican illustrations often speak truth to power. The museum uses cartoons from other decades, up to the 2024 election and subsequent Claudia Sheinbaum presidency, to show the power of single pictures. Multi-paneled comics also form a significant part of the exhibitions, ranging from newspaper strips to comic series like La Familia Burrón by Gabriel Vargas and Memín Pinguín, created by Yolanda Vargas Dulché and later illustrated by Sixto Valencia Burgos, among others.
Memín Pinguín and artist Valencia are highlighted in the museum, given the character’s particular history. Created in 1943, Memín and his mother—both Afromexican (or possibly Cuban immigrants)—were originally drawn in a stereotypical style common at the time. The character’s enduring popularity led to comics and even postage stamps featuring him abroad. In 2005, controversy arose in the United States due to his design, resulting in debates that raised points about judging the character’s appearance versus personality, as well as the reluctance to redesign the character over decades.
In addition to the stories of La Catrina and Memín Pinguín, the museum showcases other well-known Mexican publications, like the superhero Kalimán and the erotic comics of El Libro Vaquero (The Cowboy Book).
Built in the 1770s, the site was once a dormitory for students of the Real Colegio de Cristo (Royal College of Christ). Despite the age of its location, the museum is constantly updated. Members of the Cartoonist Society can often be found here for conversations and staffing the well-stocked shop.
