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Status: Former Hotel; Murder Site; Urban Legend; Abandoned
History
This once gorgeous art deco hotel was the dream of Fernando Saldana Galvan. It was meant to be the crown jewel of the city and gathering place for artists, bohemians and intellectuals. So, what happened?
Short answer: money.
The hotel was opened in 1945 and it was one of the most beautiful and extravagant hotels in the world with 600 rooms, a casino, ballrooms, a Turkish bath and human sized chess set and more spread over 6 buildings. The hotel has been compared more to Las Vegas but with taste and culture.
It was only open for a period of less than a year; and then left to gradually decay. There are 2 stories offered as to what happened to cause this: 1) Galvan was a politician and his dream became so expensive he siphoned money off of the Mexican treasury to pay the debts until he was caught, 2) His party was removed from office and his replacements from the opposition – as is so often the case – did everything they could to erase the accomplishments of their predecessors cutting all funding.
Another – more chilling – explanation was that Galvan was a Freemason and the hotel was constructed in homage to their beliefs including a Pagan chapel and they pulled their funding because of an unknown reason. Then there are those who believe the whole place was constructed to worship Satan but I’m just going to leave that one to the urban legends.
It is accepted that Galvan hung himself in the garden in the hotel’s yard – or some say in the bell tower of the hotel’s chapel - because of the massive debts he incurred building the hotel. Its also said he may have died in his own home from pneumonia. Normally, I’d say the creepy one is just a story but in this case its not so cut and dry.
Him cursing the hotel as he died is probably just legend but you never know.
Nor is it easy to just dismiss that a girl got lost in the hotel and died. There is an actual altar to her in the hotel.
The former hotel has been used to a number of government offices and reports say it is being converted into a university now. Getting onto the property is trespassing and rumoured to be extremely difficult with at least 2 fences; not to mention its in a very high use/visibility area.
That being said those that have managed to get in have come back with some incredible stories. Our Paranormal World, of course, don’t condone trespassing.
Paranormal Activity
Many people believe this site is cursed and has been by multiple sources. This is easy to just dismiss but some curses have proven true in history.
Mannequins are sometimes hung by people in the hotel which could give you a pretty big scare in a dark room. Be aware.
The ghost of Galvan himself is, of course, the most famous and often seen ghost. He is either seen in or near the chapel or in the hotel’s garden and front entrance.
The ghost of the little girl who was found dead – apparently in room 103 – haunts the room she died in. There is an altar for her in that room as well. Many people leave gifts of candy and toys for her to avoid angering her and being cursed.
There are actually multiple altars throughout the building with toys, clothes, photos etc which just feeds all the legends associated with this property.
There are stories that a former Police Chief brought the prisoners from whom he needed information and confessions from here and used immoral and illegal methods to get it. People still heard hear screams and people begging for mercy coming from inside the empty building. The ghosts of his victims are also seen wandering the buildings and grounds.
Other Activity: misty apparitions and wispy shadow figures; unexplained temperature changes; disembodied voices, whispers, laughter and breathing; phantom moans and screams that have been describing as very disturbing; touches, tugs and pulls by unseen presences; light anomalies; electrical disturbances and feelings of being watched, not being wanted, unease to extreme panic and not being alone.