it into a museum in honor of Villa. The Ministry of Defense accepted the offer. Mrs Villa died at age 89 on July 6, 1981. Because of the poor state in which it was received, many restorations had to be made by the National Institute of Anthropology and History. The house re-opened on November 17, 1982. The office and music room were used to display the personal belongings of Villa. There are photographs and other personal belongings of Villa's era. One exhibit is the car he was traveling in with his escort on the day he was assassinated. The curator of the museum is Adolfo Carrasco Vargas. Exhibits On the first floor of the museum are utensils and furniture that were commonly used by the Villa Corral family. On the second floor are five showrooms. The Hall of Arms is where the weapons Villa used in many of his combat missions are displayed. Some of the weapons on exhibit include revolvers, rifles, machine guns, cavalry sabers, baskets, and leather cases with brass. There is a photograph of Rafael Mendoza, a native of Maderas, Chihuahua, who during the Mexican Revolution invented the first air-cooled machine gun, capable of firing 250 rounds per minute. In another showcase, known as the Tragic Room, museum visitors are able to witness the death of General Villa. There is a display that shows the map of the route Villa took before his assassination, and his death mask, taken three hours after his death. On display throughout the house are numerous photographs. Gallery References External links Pancho Villa, the Museum, New York Times; no info Leaving Pancho Villa; Mexican Government site "Sistema de Información Cultural de Conaculta" Biographical museums in Mexico Museums in Chihuahua (state) History museums in Mexico Neoclassical architecture in Mexico Landmarks in Chihuahua (state) Mexican Revolution Chihuahua City