Fototeca Nacional

The Fototeca Nacional is a photo library in Pachuca housed in a restored Franciscan convent with climate-controlled storage preserving about 850,000 photographs and negatives from Mexican history. The facility includes specialized vaults designed to protect these materials under precise environmental conditions.

The Mexican government acquired the Casasola Archive in 1975 and founded the Fototeca Nacional in 1976 to preserve this important collection. The archive contains images from the Mexican Revolution era and represents a major effort to protect these historical records.

The collection documents everyday life, urban growth, and public events across different periods of Mexican society. It shows visitors how people lived and how the country changed over more than 170 years.

Visitors can access the digital catalog at automated consultation stations Tuesday through Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM. A significant portion of the collection has been digitized, making it easier to search and explore the materials.

The storage vaults maintain precise conditions of 18 degrees Celsius and 58 percent humidity to ensure the photographs remain intact for decades. This controlled environment is essential to keeping the quality and readability of these historical images.