Best Museums in Mexico City
Mexico City is home to a wealth of museums, each with their own unique collections and exhibitions. Here are some of the best museums in Mexico City that are worth a visit:
National Museum of Anthropology - This museum is one of the most important cultural institutions in Mexico, with an impressive collection of artifacts from pre-Hispanic cultures, including the Aztecs, Mayans, and Olmecs. Highlights include the Aztec calendar stone and the giant stone heads of the Olmec civilization.
Frida Kahlo Museum - Also known as the Blue House, this museum is dedicated to the life and work of the iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Visitors can see Kahlo's personal belongings, including her wardrobe and makeup, as well as her artwork and the rooms where she lived and worked.
Palacio de Bellas Artes - This stunning building houses a museum of fine arts, with a collection that includes works by Mexican artists such as Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Rufino Tamayo. The building itself is also a work of art, with a magnificent Art Nouveau façade and murals by Rivera and other artists adorning the interior.
Museo Nacional de Arte- MUNAL is the National Museum of Art preserves, exhibits, studies and transmits Mexican works of art produced between the second half of the XVI century and 1954, thus offering a global and synthesized vision of Mexican Art from this period. This museum, the prior Communications and Public Works Palace, is one of the most accomplished and representative buildings of the early 20th century Mexican architecture and it is located in the heart of Mexico City´s downtown historic center.
National Palace - This historic building, located in the heart of Mexico City, is home to the offices of the President of Mexico, but also houses a museum that showcases Mexican history and culture, including murals by Rivera that depict the country's revolutionary past.
Museum of Popular Art - This museum celebrates Mexican folk art, with a collection that includes ceramics, textiles, wood carvings, and more. The building itself is also a work of art, with a colorful façade that is covered in traditional Mexican motifs.
Museum of Modern Art - This museum features a collection of modern and contemporary Mexican art, including works by artists such as Carlos Mérida, Remedios Varo, and Leonora Carrington. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions of international contemporary art.
Franz Mayer Museum - This museum is dedicated to decorative arts, with a collection that includes furniture, ceramics, silverware, and textiles from Mexico and around the world. The building itself is a beautiful example of colonial architecture.
Museum of the Templo Mayor - This museum is located on the site of the Templo Mayor, one of the most important temples of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. The museum showcases artifacts from the site, including stone carvings and sacrificial offerings, and also has a replica of the temple itself.
Tamayo Museum of Contemporary Art- Since its inauguration in 1981, the Tamayo Museum has presented the most significant modern and contemporary art in Mexico and abroad. With a dynamic program of temporary exhibitions, as well as a continuous commitment to activate and expand its collection, the museum offers a space for critical thinking where, through art, we can imagine new ways to respond to society’s challenges. The museum was designed by Teodoro González de León and Abraham Zabludovsky who drew their inspiration from pre-Hispanic architecture.
Univeristy Museum of Contemporary Art- The Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo, also known as MUAC, is a large contemporary art museum located within the main campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. It opened in November 2008 and it is the first Mexican public museum exclusively focused to the arts created in the XXI century.
Museo Dolores Olmedo - Located in Xochimilco, at Mexico City's southern extreme, the Dolores Olmedo Museum is housed in a rambling stone structure, originally dating from the Sixteenth Century, formerly known as the Hacienda La Noria. By donating her art collection to the people of Mexico, Dolores Olmedo Patiño (1908-2002) created a cohesive whole, where treasures of the fine arts were incorporated into colonial construction added during the Seventeenth Century, surrounded by lush gardens, shaded by singularly Mexican plant species, and inhabited by gorgeous animals like the magical peacocks--seemingly confected of living jewels and the enigmatic hairless Xoloiztcuintle dogs, a Precolumbian breed that is unique to behold and warm to the touch.
National Museum of History at Chapultepec Castle- The National Museum of History is the site that holds the memory of the history of Mexico, from the conquest of Tenochtitlan to the Mexican Revolution. Its rooms show a diversity of objects representative of four centuries of the history of Mexico. The museum is located in the Castillo de Chapultepec, whose construction began in 1785 during the government of the Viceroy of New Spain, Bernardo de Gálvez.
Museum of the City of Mexico - This museum is housed in a former palace and explores the history and culture of Mexico City, from pre-Hispanic times to the present day. The museum's collection includes artwork, photographs, and artifacts that tell the story of the city and its people.
Soumaya Museum - This museum, founded by billionaire Carlos Slim, is home to an extensive collection of art, including works by European masters such as El Greco, Rembrandt, and Rodin, as well as Mexican artists like Rivera, Kahlo, and Tamayo. The building itself is a striking work of modern architecture.
Don´t forget to check out each of their websites for their temporary exhibits!