House of the Mexican singer John Gabrielwho died on this date eight years ago, reopened as an immersive museum in Ciudad Juárez. This museum is located on the border with the United States and contains the urn containing his ashes.
The museum is part of a larger building that includes the immersion room, a house tour and, for October, a souvenir shop and restaurant.
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“We are very happy to welcome fans to this project that has been in development for more than 20 years,” said Felipe Rojas, curator and director. Rojas said that the first idea was given to Juan Gabriel in 2005 and that he was always enthusiastic about the idea of a museum in his house.
Immersive experiences and details about your life
The two-hour tour begins in the immersion room, where emotional moments from their performances are watched. In the room there is a replica of a dressing room, just as he requested. “He was a very mysterious person,” explained Leticia Solares, the museum’s press coordinator. Solares explained that before his concerts, fruit, juice extractor, and cloves were always burned to purify the environment.
A portion of the immersive room screen moves, revealing a passage to a basement room. Her favorite outfits can be seen here, including the one she wore at her last concert. There are also posters of their first performances and awards such as Grammys and Heralds.
Tour of Juan Gabriel’s house
The main tour, the house tour, starts in the hall, renovated with all the details he liked. The rooms are decorated with plaster moldings featuring angels and mythical animals. Messages from Juan Gabriel for humanity are projected on a large screen, and golden details abound.
A closer look at the ‘Divo de Juárez’
The second piece in the museum is the main room of the house, where his ashes are and his voice can be heard. This recording includes rehearsals and tuning, with snippets of songs. The tour also takes a look at the kitchen, where there is a breakfast buffet given to her by the actress María Felix. One of her favorite parts of the house was the kitchen.
A spiral staircase leads to the second floor, where you can see Juan Gabriel’s bedroom, full of mirrors. The tour also includes his bathroom and guest bedrooms, which artists such as Lucha Villa and Lola Beltran used to live in.
The opening of the museum and its impact on the local economy
Solares indicated that admission to the museum will be free for this first week. Entry fee will be announced next week and will be a donation to the Juan Gabriel Foundation. Schedules and tickets can be found in the ‘Juan Gabriel Museum’ application, which is available for all phones.
Tourists arriving in Ciudad Juárez
Víctor Espinoza, manager of the Gamma Hotel, said that the hotel’s occupancy increased from 60% to 82% with the opening of the museum and the ‘Juan Gabrielísimo’ concerts. “The opening of the Juan Gabriel museum will mean a significant economic benefit to the area,” he said.
