National Museum of Anthropology Tours

Museo Nacional de Antropologia showing a statue or sculpture and a square or plaza

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Find thousands of ancient artifacts, from Mayan tombstones to an Aztec calendar, at one of the world’s great archaeological museums.

The National Museum of Anthropology (Museo Nacional de Antropología) in Mexico City holds one of the largest archaeological collections in the world. See headdresses, tombs and reconstructed temples from the ancient Aztec and Mayan civilizations. Learn about Mexico’s pre-European life, as well as present-day indigenous culture. The museum has more than 20 exhibition rooms, so you can easily spend several hours here.  

Start on the ground floor, which contains nearly 8,000 archaeological artifacts from the ancient Mesoamerican civilizations of Aztec, Maya and Olmec. There are stone carvings of large heads from the Olmec civilization. The Maya room features traditional gravestones and a reconstructed temple with detailed murals. 

The museum’s most famous artifact is the Piedra del Sol, or the “Stone of the Sun.” This Aztec stone calendar dates back to the 1400s and was discovered under one of Mexico City’s main squares. The basalt stone is 12 feet (4 meters) wide, and weighs some 24 tons (21 tonnes). The detailed patterns of the engravings show a high level of artistry. Nearby, discover statues of Aztec goddesses as well as a small-scale model of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, the area known today as Mexico City. 

The upstairs rooms of the museum offer insight into the present-day indigenous populations of Mexico. See how the descendants of the Aztecs and Mayans live today. Objects range from household tools to clothing, art and religious artifacts.

The National Museum of Anthropology is located in Chapultepec Park, just west of the city’s Historic Center. Metro and bus stops are nearby. 

The museum is open daily except Monday and there is an admission fee. Rent an audio guide from the ticket office, as not all of the exhibits have explanations in English. Walk to the nearby historic center afterwards for restaurants and cafés.

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Reviews of National Museum of Anthropology

4.8
Top Destination
5 - Excellent
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3 - Okay
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5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveler
Mar 4, 2020

Use Google Translate on the signs. Some have English translations but most do not. But this museum was fabulous. There's a lovely restaurant that we used to take a break. It's much higher quality that most museum restaurants.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveler
Feb 24, 2020

Sunday is free

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveler
Jan 10, 2020

Truly phenomenal museum

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveler
Dec 25, 2019

Very impressive to see the artifacts from the pre-Columbian civilizations of Mexico in one place, beautifully presented in an indoor/out door setting. Highly recommend! It is a must see.

5/5 - Excellent

Viajandotom
Sep 25, 2019

Add time to what you plan. This museum is extremely interesting for anyone interested in Ancient Mexico to the present.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveler
Jul 19, 2019

A lot to see and read, will probably take more than one day to see it all depending on the time of day you start tour of museum.

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