Museo Arocena, Art museum in Torreón, Mexico
Museo Arocena is an art museum in Torreón that spans multiple connected buildings featuring European, colonial, and regional Mexican art collections. The exhibition spaces display thousands of artworks and historical objects collected over generations by a local family.
The museum grew from an art collection assembled by a family of Basque descent who became influential merchants and landowners in the region. This private gathering of artworks eventually transformed into a public institution showcasing the region's artistic heritage.
The museum takes its name from the Arocena family, whose collection of over 3,000 viceregal, European and Mexican works was assembled over a century and placed in the custody of the Fundación E. Arocena. The permanent tour is organised into two main exhibitions, El Arte del México Virreinal and El Arte Europeo, with a section devoted to civil and religious silverwork.
Enter through the Plaza Peñoles on the side of the building, under a canopy of zinc and silver leaves. The museum spans four levels, with temporary exhibitions in the restored Edificio Russek (the former Banco Chino) opened in 2012. Allow several hours to cover both permanent and temporary galleries.
The museum entrance is reached from Plaza Peñoles, which is covered by a canopy of zinc and silver leaves. The building itself is the former Casino de La Laguna, erected in 1910 by French architect Louis Channel. Two neighbouring buildings, the Edificio Russek (1907) and the Edificio Arocena (1920), were later restored to add temporary exhibition rooms.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,744 contributors worldwide.
