The position of King’s Lieutenant was created by Ferdinand VI by a Royal Warrant of October 18, 1744, with the aim of ending the disputes for power that had been raised between Ordinary Mayor and Sergeant Major of Campeche in the absence of the Governor, since neither authority would recognize the scope of each other’s jurisdictions.

From 1745 to 1823, when this privilege was eliminated, Campeche had 14 King’s Lieutenants. This is one of the three houses that served as the official residence of the Royal functionaries. Among these was Infantry Colonel Leandro Poblaciones, son of the Condes de los Infantes, born in Baeza, Spain, who was the 7th to hold that post (1804 to 1811).

The building later came under Government management, and then served as a tenement block, a chewing gum and corn warehouse, and finally it was abandoned. In 1985, it was rescued by the State Government and turned into a Regional Museum. In 1995, the Museum was moved to the San Miguel Fort and since then the Casa de Teniente de Rey has housed the regional headquarters of the INAH Center-Campeche.

The building belongs to the “stately home” category. The ground floor consists of a first central courtyard around which is an arcade and service room bays. The entrance is formed by a semicircular arch flanked by Tuscan columns resting on pedestals.