National Museum of Anthropology travel guide

This museum would be worth visiting for its architecture alone, even if it weren’t filled with treasures such as the stone Aztec Calendar.

In the northern part of the Chapultepec Park is one of the most remarkable museums in the world. The giant monolith at the entrance was generally accepted to be the rain god Tláloc. According to newer theories however, the statue probably represents Chalchiuhtlicue, the sister of Tláloc and goddess of the waters of the earth. The monolith weighs 167 tons. Found near San Miguel Coatlinchán in the area of Texcoco, transporting the unfinished colossus was very difficult. The museum was built in the 1960s and was designed by the architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez. The building conveys harmony and impresses with its generous proportions. The presentation of the museum’s extraordinary exhibits is also remarkable. Of particular note is the construction of architect José Chávez Morado’s inner courtyard: an enormous stone shield on an 11m/36ft column provides shade for part of the area, and a screen of water falls from this shield and seeps into the ground as a symbol of the life-giving force of water. In both design and content, the museum is separated into two clearly defined areas: on the ground floor, visitors find an introduction to anthropology and finds from past Indian cultures, while the upper level exhibits tell about the lifestyles of the existing Indian cultures in Mexico. In the museum lobby, visitors find a good collection of books, museum guides and catalogues in several languages, as well as reproductions of pre-Columbian art. Video shows in the centre of the introductory exhibition room (Sala de Resumen) elucidate the content of the collections. On the right, a mural by Rufino Tamayo catches the eye. It shows the plumed serpent and the jaguar as incarnations of ancient Indian gods. Here, visitors pay admission and buy tickets for guided tours. The round tour through the museum, (anti-clockwise) also starts at the ticket counter. First stops on this circuit are the exhibition halls with alternating collections of artefacts from pre-Columbian cultures. Visitors who are pressed for time should at least see the Méxica and Maya exhibitions. However, please keep in mind that each exhibition hall features at least one highlight.

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