Mexico City - National Museum of Anthropology Museo Nacional de Antropologia
The National Museum of Anthropology, one of the most important of its kind in the world, is to be found in the northern section of Chapultepec Park. At the entrance stands a huge monolithic figure hitherto identified as the rain god Tláloc but in fact, according to the latest theories, more probably his sister, the water-goddess Chalchiuhtlicue (Náhuatl, "she of the jade-rock"). This colossal unfinished figure, weighing 167 tonnes, was found near San Miguel Coatlinchán and transported to its present site with the greatest difficulty.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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The Museum was designed by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and built in 1963-64. A strikingly successful example of contemporary architecture and of notably harmonious effect, it is one of the world's finest museums, with its old Indian art treasures magnificently displayed.
A notable feature is the Central Patio, part of which is roofed over by a kind of gigantic stone umbrella, sculpted by José Chávez Morado and borne on a column 11 m (36 ft) high. From the top a continuous curtain of water falls into the basin below, symbolising the eternal cycle of life.
Arrangement
The Museum is divided into two completely separate sections dealing with different aspects. On the ground floor twelve rooms provide an introduction to anthropology and display archaeological finds from extinct Indian cultures, while the upper floor documents the life-styles of contemporary Indian inhabitants of Mexico. Each room is devoted to one centre of culture or group of people.
During the night on Christmas Day 1985 thieves managed to break into the Museum and stole 173 extremely valuable items, including many of the burial objects from Palenque. During a drugs raid in June 1989 most of these pieces were recovered and are once again on view.
In the Entrance Hall the museum shop (salón de venta) on the left sells books, guides, catalogues and reproductions of pre-Columbian objects. In the Sala de Resúmen (Orientation Room) in the centre of the Entrance Hall films and slides on the Museum and its collections are shown. On the right-hand wall is a mural by Rufino Tamayo, depicting a feathered serpent and a jaguar, the two central symbols of the ancient Indian gods. On that side, too, begins the anti-clockwise tour of the Museum, commencing with rooms in which temporary special exhibitions devoted to various aspects of pre-Columbian cultures are held.
A notable feature is the Central Patio, part of which is roofed over by a kind of gigantic stone umbrella, sculpted by José Chávez Morado and borne on a column 11 m (36 ft) high. From the top a continuous curtain of water falls into the basin below, symbolising the eternal cycle of life.
Arrangement
The Museum is divided into two completely separate sections dealing with different aspects. On the ground floor twelve rooms provide an introduction to anthropology and display archaeological finds from extinct Indian cultures, while the upper floor documents the life-styles of contemporary Indian inhabitants of Mexico. Each room is devoted to one centre of culture or group of people.
During the night on Christmas Day 1985 thieves managed to break into the Museum and stole 173 extremely valuable items, including many of the burial objects from Palenque. During a drugs raid in June 1989 most of these pieces were recovered and are once again on view.
In the Entrance Hall the museum shop (salón de venta) on the left sells books, guides, catalogues and reproductions of pre-Columbian objects. In the Sala de Resúmen (Orientation Room) in the centre of the Entrance Hall films and slides on the Museum and its collections are shown. On the right-hand wall is a mural by Rufino Tamayo, depicting a feathered serpent and a jaguar, the two central symbols of the ancient Indian gods. On that side, too, begins the anti-clockwise tour of the Museum, commencing with rooms in which temporary special exhibitions devoted to various aspects of pre-Columbian cultures are held.
Things to See
Introduction to Anthropology
Introduction to Anthropology In this room the visitor is given a brief introduction to the study of mankind and allied subjects by means of models, dioramas, maps and drawings.
This room covers the basic lives of the peoples of Meso-America, including hunting, weapons, animals hunted, the development of agricultural, population situation, rites (including burial customs and festivals) and cultural achievements in the fields of music, numerology, the calendar, writing, medicine, architecture and painting.
This room covers the basic lives of the peoples of Meso-America, including hunting, weapons, animals hunted, the development of agricultural, population situation, rites (including burial customs and festivals) and cultural achievements in the fields of music, numerology, the calendar, writing, medicine, architecture and painting.
National Library of Anthropology
The Museum also houses the National Library of Anthropology, founded by Lucas Alamean in 1831 and developed by the Emperor Maximilian; it now has more than 300,000 volumes.
A few years ago the State School of Anthropology was moved to the Isidro Favela housing estate at Periférico Sur y Zapote. In 1983 the museum opened a new section containing workshops, exhibitions and gardens.
A few years ago the State School of Anthropology was moved to the Isidro Favela housing estate at Periférico Sur y Zapote. In 1983 the museum opened a new section containing workshops, exhibitions and gardens.
Sala Maya
The thieves of Christmas 1985 took a third of their booty from the Maya Room alone, a sign of how attractive this department is. A large proportion of the burial objects from Palenque, including a mask in jade mosaic, and various objects in gold, mother-of-pearl, turquoise and coral from the sacrificial well at Chichen Itzá were recovered in 1989. Note the reproduction of the famous Palenque gravestone, the open-air reconstruction of the Temple at Bonampak with its famous wall-paintings, stucco heads and stelae, as well as the particularly beautiful ceramics from the island of Jaína and some fine stonework fron Chichén Itzá.
Sala Mexica
This section describes the Aztec culture from the coming of the Chichimecs through to the fall of Tenochtitlán. This room contains the highlight of the collection, the "Stone of the Fifth Sun", also wrongly described as the "Calendar Stone". Other notable exhibits include the Tizoc Stone, manuscripts, maps and sculptures, including those of Coatlicue and Xochipilli (Náhuatl, "lord of the flowers"), god of love, dancing and poetry. A mural by Miguel Covarrubias, a model of the temple precincts and a diorama of Tlatelolco market give some idea of the size and splendour of ancient Tenochtitlán. Moctezuma's headdress made of quetzal feathers is in fact only a reproduction; the original is housed in the ethnological museum in Vienna, where it arrived by a somewhat circuitous route. It was presented, together with a plumed shield and ritual fan, to the emperor Charles V who, in 1524, made a gift of them to his brother Ferdinand, the future Ferdinand I. In due course he gave them to his son, the archduke Ferdinand II, for inclusion in the latter's art collection in Schloss Ambras in the Tyrol. From there they went to Vienna in 1806.
Sala de Oaxaca
The centre of the Zapotec-Mixtec culture (600 bc-c. ad 1500) was Monte Albán, whence came most of the ceramic and gold objects exhibited. Also displayed is a reproduction of Grave 7 from Monte Albán. Two of the showpieces of the collection - the mask of the god of bats, carved from green stone, and the Yanhuitlean breastplate of gold and turquoise - were stolen in the robbery of Christmas 1985.
Sala de Prehistoria
The early history of human settlement in America begins with the arrival of Asiatic tribes by way of the Bering Strait. Other subjects covered include the development of the hunting and collecting cultures, with fossils of humans and animals, and the first attempts at agriculture on the Anáhuac plateau.
Sala de Teotihuacan
The four phases of the culture of the plateau of Teotihuacán (200 bc-ad 700; see entry) are illustrated by examples of artistic techniques of various kinds, particularly in the field of ceramics. Note particularly the sculptures of various deities, including Xipe Tótec (from Tlamimiloplan), Chalchiuhtlicue and Huehuetéotl. A section of the Quetzalcoátl Temple from Teotihuacán has been restored in its original colourings and decoration. There is also a reconstruction of the fresco "Paradise of Tláloc", showing the souls of warriors and drowning men frollicking together.
Sala de Tula
The outstanding example of the culture of the Toltecs from Tula is one of the 4 m (13 ft) high figures of Atlas. Other examples from the classical Toltec period (ad 700-1200) include stelae, Chac-mool sculptures and a warrior's head set with mother-of-pearl mosaic.
Sala de las Culturas de Norte
The cultures of the Indians from Northern Mexico are represented by burial objects, everyday utensils, ceramics and various finds from Casas Grandes and La Quemada.
Sala de las Culturas de Occidente
Sala de las Culturas de Occidente Terracotta figures from Jalisco, Nayarit and Colima give a picture of daily life in the period before the arrival of the Spaniards. There is also some Tarascan material.
Sala de las Culturas del Golfo de Mexico
Here can be seen colossal Olmec sculptures standing in the open, Huastec stelae and painted ceramics, hachas (lit. axes; ceremonial objects), yugos and palmas (yokes and palms; stone objects probably connected with a ritual ball game of some kind) from El Tajín, all representative of Indian cultures from the Gulf of Mexico.
Sala del Periodo Preclasico
The pre-Classic or Formative period (1400-300 bc) is illustrated by means of exhibits showing developments in the fields of ceramics and other skills, including in particular some especially good examples of statues from Tlatilco, such as the female figures known as the "mujer bonita", the "Acrobat Vase" in the shape of a man in a grotesquely contorted pose, and a model of the pyramid at Cuicuilco.
Upper Floor
The ethnological collections on the Upper Floor are so arranged that the cultures of the descendants of various extinct peoples are positioned directly above those which they superseded. The collections include costumes, utensils and dwellings of the Indians still living in Mexico today.
Commencing from the right, the room providing an Introduction to Ethnology is followed by the Sala Cora-Huichol, Sala Purépecha (Tarascans), Sal Otomí-Pame (Toluca valley, Querétaro) and Sala de Puebla (Otomí, Tepehua, Totonacs, Nahua). Opposite these will be found the Sala de Oaxaca (Zapotecs, Mixtecs), Sala Totonaca y Huasteca, two rooms dealing with the Maya (Highlands and Lowlands) and Sala del Norte (Seri, Tarahumara). Finally, there is the "Indigenismo" room, dealing with measures to promote Indian development, together with selected craft products.
Commencing from the right, the room providing an Introduction to Ethnology is followed by the Sala Cora-Huichol, Sala Purépecha (Tarascans), Sal Otomí-Pame (Toluca valley, Querétaro) and Sala de Puebla (Otomí, Tepehua, Totonacs, Nahua). Opposite these will be found the Sala de Oaxaca (Zapotecs, Mixtecs), Sala Totonaca y Huasteca, two rooms dealing with the Maya (Highlands and Lowlands) and Sala del Norte (Seri, Tarahumara). Finally, there is the "Indigenismo" room, dealing with measures to promote Indian development, together with selected craft products.
Museo Nacional de Antropologia
Av. Paseo de la Reforma, Gandhi
Mexico City, Federal District (Distrito Federal)
Mexico
Av. Paseo de la Reforma, Gandhi
Mexico City, Federal District (Distrito Federal)
Mexico
Hours
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Closed | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 |
| Close | 19:00 | 19:00 | 19:00 | 19:00 | 19:00 | 18:00 |
Guides
Audio-visual presentations available.
Facilities
Gift shop
