"Franz Mayer was a German immigrant who lived in Mexico in the early 20th-century and amassed an enormous collection of decorative arts—everything from silver, to furnishings from the 16th-century on, to talavera tiles and pottery made in Puebla. Although he did acquire pieces in Europe and around the world, much of his collection was made in Mexico, and visiting the museum is a window into the elegant and elaborate furniture, paintings, and decorations that decorated the upper crust's homes during the colonial period. Upon his death, he left his collection and a generous trust to the Banco de Mexico, which opened the museum to the public in the '80s in an elegant, restored 16th-century ex-monastery. Aside from Mayer's inheritance, the museum continues to acquire special pieces and collections, and puts on great contemporary design exhibitions, too."