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The best museums in Mexico City part 1

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Mexico City is home to just over 150 museums

The list includes museums with history, science, art, culture, fun to be enjoyed.

Most of them are museums related to Mexican culture, but let's not forget that we are a big city, so there are also works by world-class artists like Andy Warhol in temporary exhibitions.

Gallery

antro
jumex
chapu
mam

Museums

In this first list you can find museums related to the background of Mexican culture (pre-Hispanic), history about what happened in the spain conquest, colonization, independence, invasions, wars, revolution and modern times. Also Mexican art, expression and icons (click every below item to see details):

Anthropology Museum:
  • Context and history. The museum opened almost half a century ago on Reforma Avenue, but this museum was found in different locations in the city, housing works and relics from the beginning of man since its inception. passing through the pre-Hispanic cultures in Mesoamerica and Aridoamerica, to a more contemporary Mexico. It is one of the most important museums in the world not only for its architecture, but also for the collection and history that it tells of the antecedents of humanity on this side of the world.
  • You will find inside.
    • A) Topics.
      • i) Tlaloc Monolith. It is a monument that was discovered on the outskirts of Mexico City and was placed at the entrance of the museum.
      • ii) Mural of day and night by Rufino Tamayo.
      • iii) Engraving of the Boturini codex behin the main entrance and in front of the fountain (above). The codex tells how the Aztecs arrived from Aztlan to found Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City). The story has to do with the shield of the Mexican flag.
      • iv) Ruin of the Aztec calendar, which is the reverse of ten peso coin.
      • v) Reproduction of Moctezuma's headdress that remains in the Ethnographic Museum of Vienna.
    • B) Permanet exhibition. The permanent exhibitions are about the origins of man, how they came to the continent, the history and relics of Mesoamerican cultures such as the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Toltec, Zapotec, Totonaca, as well as the Aztec and Maya, among others. You will find exhibitions about the regions with more traditions and cultures describing them.
    • C) Temporal exhibitions. the exhibitions are of a national nature, in the same way with relics from other parts of the country, but sometimes they are international, mainly from the USA and Europe.
    • How to arrive.
    • A) From Chapultepec subway station. Walk like a 20 minutes or walk and take metrobus or bus in Reforma Avenue (option below).
    • B) The Metrobus Anthropology Station. https://www.metrobus.cdmx.gob.mx/mapas-de-sistema/mapa-linea-7
    • C) By bus from Bellas Artes (Downtown). https://moovitapp.com/index/es-419/transporte_p%C3%BAblico-line-REFORMA_BICENTENARIO-Ciudad_de_Mexico-822-938755-39136558-0
    • Cost. 85 MXN / 4.25 dls. Not online tickets.
    • Open: Tuesday to Saturday from 10 to 17.
    • Level of Security: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5)
    • Guided tours. There are guides outside the museum that can give you the tour in different languages, they charge you 500 pesos in Spanish, 700 in English or Portuguese, there are German and French with other external guides (the price may vary), being the extra entrance. The tours in Spanish, English and Portuguese are from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 to 3 or 4.
    • What eat.
    • Additional material.
    • Official Website of the museum.
Palacio de Bellas Artes:
  • Context and history. The palace was built by order of former president Porfirio Díaz, who wanted to represent the centenary of Mexico's independence. The architect who initially dedicated himself to the construction was the Italian Adamo Boari who followed the currents of Art Nouveau. The plan of the palace is said to be based on the Aztec god of rain, Tlaloc. The building was delayed due to all the problems of the Mexican revolution, but it ended in 1934, opening with a series of murals by Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, among other artists.
  • You will find inside.
    • A) Permanet exhibition. The frescos that show the background and culture of Mexico, criticism of the government, science and technology, and where Mexican and world society is, and where we are headed. It is worth emphasizing that there is a dichotomy between two murals, The Man in Control of the Universe and Katharsis, one telling us that man will dominate the machines and the other that the machines will dominate us. Who will be right? In the future I will launch a book that will explain this.
    • B) Temporal exhibitions. The exhibitions are mostly national, being works that are touring abroad, or international art exhibitions.
    • How to arrive.
    • A) By trolleybus at the Bellas Artes/Santa Veracruz stations.https://www.ste.cdmx.gob.mx/linea-1
    • B) Coming out of the subway Bellas Artes. https://metro.cdmx.gob.mx/storage/app/media/red/plano_red19.pdf
    • C) By metrobus at the Bellas Artes/Museo Franz Mayer stations. https://www.metrobus.cdmx.gob.mx/mapas-de-sistema/mapa-linea-4
    • Cost. Weekends 80 MXN/4 dls. Camera permit 30 MXN/1.5 dls. Sundays is Free. International students the admision is free. Not online tickets.
    • Open: Tuesday from 10 to 18. Wednesday from 11 to 18. Thursday to Sunday from 10 to 18.
    • Level of Security: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4)
    • Guided tours.
    • What eat.
    • Additional material. .
    • Official Website of the museum.
Soumaya Museum Plaza Carso (Polanco):
  • Context and history. It is one of the three museums that emerged from the foundation of Carlos Slim, one of the richest man in the country, with the purpose of disseminating the art collections that he owns and has had access to. This museum has the particularity that its facade is irregular, made of aluminum hexagons, making it an excellent place to take photos. There are usually a lot of people, come early.
  • You will find inside. There are about six floors with works by Diego Rivera, Henry Matisse, sculptures by Augusto Rodin such as Dante Alighieri's interpretation of Hell's Gate, relics from the East, paintings and art from Europe, Mexican art, among others.
  • How to arrive.
Jumex Museum:
  • Context and history. In a similar way to Carlos Slim, Eugenio López Alonso opens to the public the works to which he had access, in his juice factory located in Ecatepec, on the outskirts of the City, and because of the distance, he builds this enclosure in front of the Soumaya Museum to make it available to the public. Both museums are quite young, just 9 and 16 years old. There are usually a lot of people, come early.
  • You will find inside. All the exhibitions are temporary of abstract art, but in general they are very good, they have approaches that are not easy to identify. Lately, Mexican or Latin exhibitions have arrived, and the best thing is the view towards the Soumaya museum, for some extraordinary photos for Instagram.
  • How to arrive. The museum is in front of the soumaya, so the ways to get there are the same.
  • Cost. Free. Not online tickets.
  • Open: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 to 17. Saturday open until 19.
  • Level of Security: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5)
  • Guided tours. Send an email to check the availability and complete form.
  • What eat.
  • Additional material.
  • Official Website of the museum.
Chapultepec castle national history museum:
  • Context and history. To begin with, the museum is located in the Chapultepec forest, which is one of the largest green areas in Mexico City. The name comes from Nahuátl, which means grasshopper hill, that's why you will see a couple of sculptures denoting this insect. This is the only castle in America and it served as a fort for when the child heroes died in battle when we suffered the invasion by the USA and they forced us to sell more than half of our territory. Similarly, when we suffered from the French intervention, Emperor Maximilian of Hapsburg together with his wife Carlota, they lived in the castle. In the period of Revolution and post-revolution, a couple of Presidents of Mexico lived, such as Porfirio Díaz and Plutarco Elías Calles. Soon you can realize that we have suffered many wars.
  • You will find inside. It is a very large museum, with many gardens and a beautiful view of Reforma Avenue, being able to see the angel of independence from here. I recommend that you go before or after noon because there are too many people.
  • How to arrive. From Chapultepec subway station, walk for approximately 15 minutes.
  • Cost. 85 MXN/4.25 dls. Camera permission 50 MXN/2.5 dls. If you want to use the lockers, you must pay an extra 10 pesos at the machines. Not online tickets.
  • Open: Tuesday to Sunday from 9 to 17.
  • Level of Security: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5)
  • Guided tours. After climbing the hill, outside the castle you will find guides who can give you a tour in different languages, but they are not cheap.
  • What eat.
  • Additional material. Infographics in English are available throughout the museum.
  • Official Website of the museum.
Blue House of Frida Kahlo
  • You can find the info in the section of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
Modern Art Museum:
  • Context and history. It is a fairly young museum, with an origin in the Palace of Fine Arts, which designated the National Museum of Plastic Arts (which houses modern art). Seeing this, INBAL (the Institute of Fine Arts of Mexico) decided to create a museum in the city for this segment of art.
  • You will find inside. The museum usually hosts temporary exhibitions, mostly to the art and past of mexico, but what is permanent is the sculpture garden that surrounds it, as well as Frida Kahlo's Two Fridas painting.
  • How to arrive.
    • A) From Chapultepec subway station, walk for approximately 15 minutes
    • B) Gandhi Station of metrobus. https://www.metrobus.cdmx.gob.mx/mapas-de-sistema/mapa-linea-7
    • Cost. 80 MXN/4 dls. Not online tickets. Sundays is free.
    • Open: Tuesday to Sunday from 10:15 to 17:30.
    • Level of Security: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5)
    • Guided tours. Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. tours can be given in English.
    • What eat.
    • Additional material. A couple of audios are available in English, as well as a couple of infographics and QR codes to read them.
    • Official Website of the museum.

Photo Credits

Museo Jumex / David Chipperfield Architects (2013, David Chipperfield) by ArchDaily

Memorias de la construcción del Museo Nacional de Antropología (2022) by México Desconocido

Museo de Arte Moderno (2022, SIC Gobierno de México) by Sistema de información cultural

Castillo de Chapultepec by Trip Advisor

References

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