Front View: This antique black and white lithograph multi-view postcard is titled "Querétaro — Monumentos á Maximiliano en el Cerro de las Campanas. (Tres épocas.)" across the upper white margin. The layout displays three distinct historical scenes and a central portrait tracking the evolution of the execution site. The upper left window shows the initial basic stone markers in 1867. The center circular portrait features Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg in military uniform. The upper right window highlights the 1883 masonry monument with three distinct headstones. The primary bottom window illustrates the 1901 completion of the stone memorial chapel with figures walking nearby. The publisher line "161, Latapi y Bert. Apartado 922. México." is printed along the bottom left edge.
Back View: This is an authentic, unposted undivided-back international postcard layout printed in a dark brown/sepia ink. The top center features the heading "Tarjeta Postal" in a large, spaced serif font, with "Carte Postale" printed directly underneath. The side margins contain vertical text reading "UNION POSTALE UNIVERSELLE" on the left and "UNION POSTAL UNIVERSAL" on the right. The lower left carries the prompt: "Lado que se reserva para la dirección / (Côté réservé á l'adresse)." The right half contains two dotted address lines underscored by a solid line, with no pre-printed stamp box outline.
Condition: Good antique unposted condition. The front face features clear image details and highly legible typography with light handling wear near the outer borders. The reverse side is completely unwritten. Note a distinct, small dark brown organic spot/wax stain in the upper right corner area on the reverse side. The corner tips show mild shelf softening, but the card stock remains completely free of hard vertical creases, tears, or pinholes.
History of Scene, Publisher, and Photographer
The Scene: This card documents the historical evolution of the execution site of Emperor Maximilian I, alongside conservative generals Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía, who were executed by a republican firing squad on June 19, 1867. The three frames track how the site changed over time: the temporary pile of rocks erected immediately after the execution (1867), the formal stone wall and triple columns built when diplomatic relations eased (1883), and finally the commemorative stone chapel commissioned by the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I (Maximilian's brother) which opened on the hill in 1901.
The Publisher: Published by Latapí y Bert, one of the most prolific and highly regarded postcard publishing firms operating out of Mexico City (Apartado Postal 922) during the Porfiriato era. Active from the late 1890s until the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution, Latapí y Bert partnered with top-tier German lithographic printers to distribute extremely detailed historical and topographical view sets.
The Photographer: Uncredited on the stock, compiled from official commemorative government archival photographs of the site's successive constructions.