San Diego - Museum of Man

The exhibits in the Museum of Man in Balboa Park were collected by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington from the Indian Pueblos in the southwest of the United States; further excavations were made at the ruins of the Aztec and Mayan settlements in Latin America. Among other things, they illustrate the early history of the human race by portraying prehistoric man.

The San Diego Museum of Man in Balboa Park is an anthropology and archeology museum with a focus primarily on cultures in the Americas, but also from around the world. Of particular note are the collections from the American Southwest and western South America, as well as Alaska, the American Northwest Coast and Central Plains, Central America, and North Africa.

The museum began with the original collection from the Panama California Exhibition and has expanded over the years to what is now an extensive collection with tens of thousands of artifacts. In addition to the permanent collection the Museum of Man also features changing exhibits.

The building that houses the museum is one of the most recognizable buildings in the park. Built for the 1915/16 Exhibition, this Spanish-Mexican style building has an ornate façade around the entrance and the tall California Tower that can be seen from a distance.