The Theatre of the Republic (Teatro de la República) is not owned by the Government of the State of Queretaro or the Mexican Government, but by the “Josefa Vergara Foundation“; and the property was announced “on sale” at a ridiculous price of 100 million pesos (5.1 million USD), considering that this is the historic building in which the Mexican Constitution was signed in the year 1917. But in fact, this was confirmed by the governor of Querétaro, Francisco Domínguez Servién.
In an interview, the head of the State Executive reported that he already talked with the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, to make sure the Government of the Republic acquires this historic site, where the Constitutional Congress was installed in November 1916, in order to structure, discuss, approve and sign the Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1917.
“The Theatre of the Republic is neither property of the state nor the federation, it belongs to the Josefa Vergara Foundation; I have personally approached the federal government, they are willing to acquire the theatre at 100 million pesos, I am asking the president to buy it and I hope it can be done; the president likes the idea, but says that resources are limited these days, we will see what the final decision is,” Domínguez Servién stated.
According to a document prepared by the Josefa Vergara Foundation, published on their website (http://www.josefavergara.org), the property was built and open for the first time on May 2, 1852 with the name of Iturbide Theatre (Teatro Iturbide); however, José María Ruiz Truchuelo, then governor of the state of Queretaro, changed its name to Theatre of the Republic (Teatro de la República) on February 5, 1922.
The theatre was built with Josefa Vergara’s money, therefore it belongs to this foundation and not to the Queretaro State Goverment.
Source: Am Queretaro