House of Masks Closed For Good

(Acapulco, AN 19 November) The Acapulco museum called the “House of Masks” has been closed indefinitely. The building, which is owned by the city government, had been made available to the museum over its seven-year history. Last November, the city asked for its property back. Since then, the doors have been shut. Last Wednesday the masks collections were finally removed, and the city government is now using the house for storage.

The museum’s ex-curator, Blanca Villalba Sánchez, said that the Añorve administration decided to close the museum without giving any reasons, in spite of a petition from the National Council for Culture and the Arts and support from other groups, including tourism organizations. Añorve’s Secretary of Social Development, Érika Lürhs, never officially responded to any of the requests, nor explained why the city government wanted to kill the museum.

During last year’s Nao Festival, the City used the museum for a temporary exhibition. Then, when the festival ended, the museum was locked and never re-opened to the public. Part of the explanation is that the city wanted to use the building for temporary cultural exhibitions in addition to being the “House of Masks.” The curator opposed such a plan.