This house has a long history dating back to 1657.

In that year, it was part of a Carmelite convent, which later came under the ownership of the Dominicans.

In the 18th century, it was rebuilt by architect José Eduardo de Herrera to be used as a country house for the Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo.

In 1857, the writer and politician Manuel Payno occupied the house, hiding from his political enemies after being involved in a coup against the government of Ignacio Comonfort.

Another notable occupant was the scholar Isidro Fabela, who lived here in 1933.

In 1958, when the Fabela family bequeathed the house to the Mexican government, it was converted into the current Isidro Fabela Cultural Center and Library.

The library houses over 18,000 volumes donated by Isidro Fabela, as well as the personal archive of Venustiano Carranza.

The house has two levels that open onto a central courtyard and a rear courtyard. It is in the central courtyard where the monumental Fuente del Risco is located. This baroque-style fountain is made from broken porcelain dishes from Japan and China, tiles, vases, and abalone shells. It is attached to the wall like an altar and was built in the second half of the 18th century, with a small sculpture of the Virgin of Loreto at the upper central part.

Visitors can also explore the study of Isidro Fabela (1882-1964), an intellectual and politician who donated the residence where the museum is located, along with his library, historical archive, and art collection.

The museum's permanent collection is distributed across the seven rooms on the first floor. The Baroque Hall exhibits Mexican Baroque art objects (17th to 18th centuries), while the European religious art room provides a brief overview of European religious painting from the 14th to 16th centuries.

There is another room dedicated to portraits of European monarchs, one for European portraits of bourgeoisie and nobles, and a room for landscape and genre paintings.