Antique & Vintage Postcards

Perched dramatically atop a rugged volcanic hill, the Baroque chapel of El Obispado commands the skyline of Monterrey with its ornate stone facade, single bell-tower dome, and a solitary statue of the Virgin keeping watch over the terraced cobblestone approach—the Sierra Madre mountains dissolving into clouds behind her. Built in 1787 as a bishop's residence, El Obispado served as a fortress in both the Mexican-American War and the Revolution before becoming the Museo Regional del Estado de Nuevo León, and this real-photo postcard (RPPC) captures it in its mid-century glory with the drama of a theatrical stage set. The back is entirely unused—blank and clean on Kodak paper stock—suggesting this card was acquired as a souvenir rather than mailed. Photographer M.M. López's credit is embossed into the image itself, a mark of local professional pride.