Calle Benigno Malo 6-40
This adobe constructed house was originally built around 1900, and at that time only had two rooms and a large lot that was used as stables. In 1908 the building was bought by Joaquín Rendón who added on to the construction. Joaquín Rendón was a painter and dedicated most of his time to decorating the house’s walls with landscapes and decorative motifs, with the principal theme being women with doves.
It is a good example of a Colonial home – which would consist of a courtyard, a rear yard, and a vegetable garden. It is an example of the Cuenca romantic tradition.
One detail in the decoration is the paving of the floors of the hallway and the patios, made with river stones and rows of bones from the skeletons of cattle, called “pisos de huesos. And yes, you can see it is made of real adobe.
Other paintings show European rural landscapes with small towns and hunting scenes. The decoration of the house is consistent with the romantic taste of the time.
This building ceased to be a family home after Rendón’s death; his wife leased it to the military to be a casino. The house had many uses afterwards – for a while it was leased to the Tres de Noviembre Elementary School. Later the house was used for a candle and fireworks factory, and then later rented for the office of a newspaper called “El Sur”.
By 1972 the house had been abandoned and was rapidly deteriorating. In 1987 El Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural purchased and restored the building, and it is now their office.
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