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The best museums in Mexico City part 2

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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

watercolor
temploMayor
mna
muac

Museums

In this second installment you will be able to see museums that contain art, science, and the ideas and thoughts that were embodied in Mexican and international relics (click every below item to see details):

Watercolor museum:
  • Context and history. Initially, the museum was founded in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, but due to the great collapse caused by the 1985 earthquake, it was decided to move to Coyoacan. Alfredo Guati Rojo founded the Mexican society of watercolorists and the museum that bears his name.
  • You will find inside.
    • A) Art Gallery. Here you will find very beautiful watercolor works by Russian artists from St. Petersburg.
    • B) House of Alfredo Guati Rojo. It begins with a recreation tour of codices from the archaeological ruins, and then with watercolors from the 18th to 20th centuries. Upstairs there is an international exhibition of countries like Costarica, Cuba, Italy, Japan, Denmark, USA. across the room you will find an exhibition of Mexican artists, painting landscapes. Watercolor is very detailed and sometimes even abstract. Finally, going downstairs, you will find a beautiful red Alfredo Guati collection, with landscapes, with people and with a touch of the language of symbols used by the Aztecs.
    • C) Garden. The garden has stone sculptures based on Aztec symbols. There are also workshops on how to paint in watercolor for children, do not hesitate to ask.
    • How to arrive.
    • A) From Coyoacan downtown. Walk like a 20 minutes to the museum.
    • B) From Miguel Angel de Quevedo subway station. Walk like a 15 minutes.
    • Cost. It's free, but accepts donations. The camera permit is 50 MXN/2.5 dls.
    • Open: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 to 18.
    • Level of Security: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5)
    • Guided tours. There are no guided tours but for 50 MXN/2.5 dls they give you a device with the guide in English of the different rooms.
    • What eat.
    • Additional material.
    • Official Website of the museum.
Universum Museum:
  • Context and history. It is a museum that is barely 30 years old with the purpose of disseminating science and technology to young people. The museum was created and managed by one of the best universities in Latin America, the glorious UNAM. It is a quite interactive, lively museum, mainly oriented towards children and young people. Maybe a couple of things look a bit worn but that's because of the number of visitors.
  • You will find inside.
    • A) Permanent exhibition. The exhibitions are all related to science and technology. Exhibitions on physics, chemistry, water, the human body, the evolution of devices, a planetarium, among others.
    • B) Temporary exhibitions. There are at the moment exhibitions of dinosaurs and birds of the protected area of ​​the university.
    • How to arrive.
    • A) By the metrobus station Centro Cultural Universitario (CCU) and walk. https://www.metrobus.cdmx.gob.mx/mapas-de-sistema/mapa-linea-1
    • B) By the university metro and take route 3 of the pumabus. https://moovitapp.com/index/es-419/transporte_p%C3%BAblico-line-RUTA_3-Ciudad_de_Mexico-822-853996-207287-0
    • Cost. The cost of general admission is 90 MXN/4.5 dls, for the planetarium it is 15 MXN/0.75 dls extra. For the exhibitions it is the same extra fee, and sometimes there are packages that include 3 extra exhibitions (along with the planetarium) for 125 MXN/6.25 dls. You can buy the tickets here.
    • Open: Thursday to Sunday from 10 to 17.
    • Level of Security: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.3)
    • Guided tours. There are no guides in English :(, but a couple of people in some rooms speak it.
    • What eat.
    • Additional material. .
    • Official Website of the museum.
University Museum of Contemporary Art (MUAC):
  • Context and history. It is a museum of international modern art, with cultures other than the Mexican ones. The museum is barely 14 years old and is housed in the cultural space of the University of Mexico.
  • You will find inside. It is an abstract art museum, like the [jumex] museum (/blog/bestMuseums1), and all the exhibitions are temporary, with a historical context. In general they are international exhibitions, but occasionally there are national exhibitions with a foreign focus. It is an enclosure with a beautiful architecture.
  • How to arrive. It is located near the universum, so they are the same recommendations.
  • Cost. From wednesday to saturday the cost is 40 MXN/2 dls. Sunday is 20 MXN/1 dls. Students pays 20 MXN/1 dls. You can buy the tickets here; if you are a student and if you buy the ticket online, they will not be able to give you a discount.
  • Open: Wednesday to Sunday from 11 to 18.
  • Level of Security: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.3)
  • Guided tours. Similar to the situation in the universum museum.
  • What eat. There is a restaurant inside the museum but it is a bit expensive.
  • Additional material. Most infographics are in English by scanning the QR code. The museum has internet.
  • Official Website of the museum.
National Museum of World Cultures:
  • Context and history. It is a museum that during colonial times was dedicated to the creation and shelter of coins, which is why the street where it is located has the name "coin". During the period of the French invasion with Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg, I designate that this space will show everything related to the ancient cultures of Mexico, because in this space the Huey Tlatoani Moctezuma Xocoyotzin meditated on the problems of Tenochtitlan.
  • You will find inside.
    • A) Permanet exhibition. The exhibitions that are permanent are related to the culture of China, Japan, Korea, Greece, Mesopotamia and Egypt. Many relics are brought from those parts of the world, and others are replicas made for the museum. It should be noted that it is the only museum in Latin America that houses exhibitions from those parts of the world.
    • B) Temporal exhibitions. In the same way, they are exhibitions from other parts of the world, but some are collaborations of other countries with Mexico, explaining the culture and relationship between the countries.
    • How to arrive. Being so close to the main temple, it is also leaving the zocalo subway station.
    • Cost. Admision is free. Not online tickets.
    • Open: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 to 17.
    • Level of Security: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5)
    • Guided tours. In order to obtain a visit to this museum, you must ask in advance in the educational communication area (ask how to get there with the name in Spanish), and ask for Raúl. Preferably, they told me that it should be a month to a week in advance. If you like, I can schedule it myself, but let me know in advance too.
    • What eat.
    • Additional material. There are no infographics in English :(.
    • Official Website of the museum.
National Art's Museum:
  • Context and history. As you can see from the architecture of the museum, it was built in colonial times, housing a hospital and Jesuits. In more modern times, whoever was President Porfirio Díaz ordered that this outside the Palace that will house the communications of the country. Opposite you will see what was the first engineering school in America, which years later was adopted by UNAM and currently belongs to the Faculty of Engineering of this Institution. I recommend that you watch the James Bond movie 007 Specter, because in the part of the movie that takes place in Mexico City, a large part of the scene was filmed on this street.
  • You will find inside. As I mentioned, it is a colonial building, and just by entering its walls and stairs, they have a baroque style, combined with the Mexican national symbols.
    • A) Permanent exhibition. You will find exhibitions related to the past life of Mexico, mainly its markets, diet and foods that are the basis of our diet, its main avenues, and our uses and customs.
    • B) Temporary exhibitions. The museum is very large, so you will constantly find new exhibitions in different rooms, both national and international, like when you visited there was a telegraph exhibition.
    • 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 stations Bellas Artes/Allende. 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 5 MXN/0.25 dls dls. Not online tickets.
    • Open: Tuesday to sunday from 10 to 17:30.
    • Level of Security: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4)
    • Guided tours. They do not have tours or infographics in English.
    • What eat.
    • Additional material. .
    • Official Website of the museum.
Mexico City Museum:
  • Context and history. The building belonged to the Counts of Santiago de Calimaya, just after the conquest. Juan Gutiérrez Altamirano was the first owner of the house, being the mayor of Texcoco and adviser to the conqueror Hernán Cortés. You can see in the corner of the museum that when the construction was built, they tried to hide a snake head. When the Spaniards won the battle against the Aztecs, they demolished their atriums and built their churches or buildings on top of them, as a sign of the imposition of the Catholic religion. It should be noted that the ancient cultures of America were polytheistic, that is, they worshiped multiple gods, and that Jesus Christ was not found or figured. Almost opposite of the street, you can see a commemorative mural that represents the meeting of two worlds.
  • You will find inside.
    • A) Permanent exhibition. Exhibition of the evolution of Mexico City. This dates back to the origin of the Aztecs in the founding of the great empire of Tenochtitlan.
    • B) Temporary exhibitions. Temporary exhibitions may include exhibitions from other cities, but include Mexico City. They are exhibitions of what cities were like before, types of architecture, new trends in construction, among others.
    • How to arrive. Leaving the Zocalo subway station, you can walk a couple of streets.
    • Cost. 38 MXN / 2 dollars. Sundays is Free. international students the admission is 19 MXN/1 dls. Not online tickets.
    • Open: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 to 18.
    • Level of Security: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5)
    • Guided tours. There is a tour of the museum in Spanish and English, it is every day that the museum opens at 13, but they recommend that you be there a little earlier, five minutes, to take the tour of what Mexico City was like before, if you do not arrive, it will be until next day. There are guides at all hours in English, but for this exhibition it is key to be at that moment.
    • What eat.
    • Additional material. There are no infographics in English :(.
    • Official Website of the museum.
Ruins of the main temple Museum:
  • Context and history. In a similar way to the museum in Mexico City, the Spanish destroyed all of Tenochtitlan, and left these pyramids in ruins, imposing their cathedral that is located a few meters away. These ruins are one of the main vestiges that prove the existence of the Aztec empire, representing two of its greatest deities, the god of rain (Tlaloc) and the god of war (Huitzilopochtli). To one side of the ruins you will find a museum that extracted the main relics that have been found in the place. It has not yet been discovered. Recently opened another part of the archaeological zone and you will find a dry tree, and if you are lucky that there are not many visitors, listen well next to the tree and you will perceive the sound of running water below. If you come to the city and it is open, it is the best thing you can do, because sometimes it closes because they continue with the excavation work.
  • You will find inside.
    • A) Topics.
    • B) Permanent exhibition. The permanent exhibition is related to all the vestiges of the Aztec culture, mainly what was extracted from the ruins, but it also includes all their life, such as offerings, what their schools were like, the flora and fauna that surrounded them, as well as a couple of vestiges when they were conquered and carved in stone.
    • C) Temporary exhibitions. It is not very common, but short exhibits are brought in from other large archaeological ruins.
    • How to arrive. Leaving the Zocalo subway station, you can walk a couple of streets.
    • Cost. 85 MXN / 4.25 dollars. Not online tickets. Admission for students is free. Sundays too, but only for foreigners residing in Mexico.
    • Open: Tuesday to Sunday from 9 to 17.
    • Level of Security: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5)
    • Guided tours. There are guides outside the archaeological zone, but the tours are not cheap, it is more affordable for groups of people.
    • What eat.
    • Additional material. Many infographics are in English, even when you first enter there is an information module that can give you a triptych with information about the place in English. Also in some rooms there are people who speak English and you can ask them a couple of things. In the official blog of the museum there are the guides for download in pdf and in English.
    • Official Website of the museum.

Photo Credits

Museos en el distrito federal / Museo Nacional de la acuarela "Alfredo guati rojo" (2012) by Museo Arte DF FCA

Museo Universitario de arte contemporáneo (2019) by Hemispheric Institute

Museo Nacional de Arte - Ciudad de México (2019, Rodrigo Malagón) by Flickr

10 piezas imprescindibles para ver en el Museo del Templo Mayor (Xiu, 2019) by Matador Network

References

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