The Museum of the Valley

(Local Name: Barcelonnette - Musée de la Vallée) The Musée de la Vallée (Ville de Barcelonnette) in the "La Sapinière" villa on the avenue de la Libération has a department devoted to the Mexican history of the Barcelonnetes.

In 1821 the Arnaud brothers from neighboring Jausier emigrated to Mexico and opened a textile and clothing shop in Mexico City. From 1830 onwards they encouraged more emigrants from the valley and by the end of the century more than 100 such shops in Mexico were owned by "Barcelonnettes". Over a number of years more than a half of the men aged over 20 left the Ubaye valley to go to Mexico. Some of them became financially very successful; dealings in gold and silver began, and a group of them bought the Bank of London, Mexico and South America, which had the license to issue banknotes for the whole of Mexico. In the 1880s the "Mexicans" started to build luxurious villas in their home town and these give the townscape its unusual character.

This golden age came to an end with the Mexican Revolution between 1910 and 1920, and a wave of the "Mexicains" émigres returned to Barcelonnette to settle.