Bishop's Palace

Bishop's Palace (El Obispado) is in the western part of the city at the w. end of Av. Padre Mier. It was built by Fray José Rafael Verger in 1787, a year of famine, to employ Indian victims of a severe drought. During the Mexican-American War, it resisted an onslaught by the invading U.S. Army for 2 days after the city had fallen. The building also served as a stronghold against the French in 1864, as a hospital during a 1903 yellow fever epidemic, and as temporary quarters for Pancho Villa during the 1910 Revolution. On smog-free days it offers a wonderful view of the city.