Located in a historic mansion, as the plot it occupies was originally assigned by Hernán Cortés to his steward, Diego de Soto. 

It passed through several owners, one of them being Ignacio L. Vallarta, one of the most prominent Mexican politicians of the 19th century, who ordered some modifications to the 17th-century construction, which was rebuilt in the early 18th century. 

Unfortunately, the earthquake of 1985 severely damaged the property, and after several changes of ownership and management, the National Institute of Anthropology and History and the Government of the Federal District, with the financial support of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation, managed to rescue it for its current use. 

The Spanish Cultural Center was inaugurated on November 18, 2002, and has different rooms for exhibitions, courses, workshops, and conferences, a media library, a reading room, a cafeteria, and a space for alternative uses.