Many years ago the part of the city, where the Embassy of Russia is situated at present, was not connected to the Capital of Mexico, it was a village Tacubaya. The air was fresh there, the nature was wonderful, and the people called this place “one of the most beautiful places in the world”. In the 18-19 centuries the honorable families of Mexico-city built in Tacubaya their country-houses called haciendas, where they had the most luxurious decors and the most refined gardens and parks. Among them there were the most notable haciendas of Barron, Escandon, Saint Catherin del Arenal.

May be Hacienda Saint Catherin del Arenal wasn’t as luxurious as the others, but it had a very long history. It was constructed by Juan Hernández Mellado in 1610 and he sold it to the family of Teresa Caral de Airolo in 1646, and in the year 1704 it was sold by auction to one of the richest persons of that time Count de Miravalle. He bought it as a present for his wife, that’s why this patrimony got its second name – the Hacienda of the Countess (Condesa).

In 1816 the Hacienda of Condesa has been rented for 6 years to the Minister of Army and Finances, Antonio Batres. In 1827 is was sold to the wife of his Josefa Arturo de Batres, and after her death in 1841 – to her brothers Estanislao y Joaquin Flores. In 1816 the Hacienda was bought by a big landowner Vicente Escandon, whose family became the last private proprietor of this patrimony. After his death all his ownings were divided between his heirs; and his daughter Dolores Escandon y Arango de Rubin became the new owner of the house with its territories. Later, in 1911, she gave it as a wedding present for her daughter Dolores Rubin Escandon and her husband Jorge Gomez de Parada.

So Jorge Gomez de Parada, who was an architect and lived for many years in London, decided to reconstruct the house that was quite old at that time. Mauricio Campos, who became the author of the project, created the style with “a big English influence”.

The social problems of the first part of the 20th century made the family of Gomez de Parada leave Mexico for Europe. For some time the patrimony was empty awaiting for its owners to come back. But the family was forced to rent the building to the Embassy of Brazil for 8 years. They came back only in 1931 and after 11 years sold the patrimony to the Soviet Union.

In the house on the Avenue of Jose Vasconcelos, that has been Avenue of Tacubaya before, was located the Embassy of the USSR and later the Embassy of Russian Federation.

Since 1941 the house built by Mauricio Campos serves for the interest of the Russian State. Here is situated the Embassy of a great country. The luxurious decoration of the house, the statues in the garden can never be forgotten by the guests of the Embassy of Russia in Mexico. We, who work here for the honor of our Motherland, love this patrimony and are proud of it.

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