México City Museums

Travel Safe - Travelocity

We cannot possibly list all of México City's more than 150 museums.  We have tried to list a few of the most important, along with some that are not so important, but interesting anyway.  The following list should help you decide which museums you want to visit.  Admission prices vary, but all are very reasonable. 

Many of México City's museums offer free admission on Sundays and holidays.  Some, not all, are closed on Mondays.

Museo del Palacio Nacional: Built from the ruins of the Aztec temple, the palace was erected on the site of the former palace of Moctezuma, and Cortés   maintained his headquarters here. The original building has undergone countless changes in the past four centuries. Today the National Palace houses the offices of the president and the Finance Ministry. The central staircase and mezzanine are decorated with some of Diego Rivera´s most stirring murals, giving a vivid pictorial history of Mexico.

Museo Mural Diego Rivera: This museum's only treasure is Diego Rivera´s mural "Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park," an engaging depiction of famous political, entertainment and society figures of the time.

Museo Franz Mayer:  This building dates to the 16th century. Beautifully restored, it houses a vast collection of exquisite colonial-era art and rare items accumulated by Mayer and donated to the people of México. This museum features mostly functional pieces, such as furniture, watches, trunks, utensils and altarpieces.

Ave.  Hidalgo 45

Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes:  Mexico´s principal opera house and home of the National Folkloric Ballet, features important murals and several exhibit halls.  An architectural masterpiece inside and out, its interiors are a beautiful blend of art nouveau and art deco. The main theater boasts a magnificent Tiffany stained-glass curtain.  The curtain depicts the Valley of México and its two imposing volcanoes, Popocatépetl and Iztacihuatl.

Museo de la Ciudad de México:  Housed in a colonial era masterpiece, the museum documents the history of México City
since pre-Columbian times.

Museo de San Ildefonso: This site of major temporary art exhibits showcases early Mexican mural art, especially by José Clemente Orozco. 

Justo Sierra 160

Museo del Niño - Papalote:  Described by The New York  Times as one of the largest and most technologically sophisticated "touch and do" museums in the world.  This museum contains over 200 interactive exhibits grouped into five different themes related to the arts, science and technology. An IMAX theatre screens breathtaking films on Mexican culture, archaeology and other interesting topics.

Chapultepec Park - Sec. 2

Poliforum Cultural Siqueiros:  Few in this world ever get the opportunity to build monuments to themselves.  That is just what renowned muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros has done with his Poliforum. The upper level houses one of the largest murals ever painted, "The March of Humanity," covering an area of 27,000 square feet. The three-dimensional mural, or  "sculpto-painting," is a combination of metals and acrylics on asbestos-concrete panels over iron. Poliforum adjoins the World Trade Center.

Museo-Estudio Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera: The famous artist couple lived in this 1930s avant-garde abode with separate houses for each of them from 1934 to 1940, when they divorced. Rivera stayed on until his death in 1957. The museum has only a few examples of Rivera´s art and none of Frida´s, but features a lot of memorabilia.

Museo Anahuacalli: This dramatic museum was designed by Diego Rivera to house his own collection of pre-Hispanic art, mostly of pottery and stone figures.  The fortress like building is made of dark volcanic stone and incorporates many pre-Hispanic stylistic features. It also contains one of his studios and some of his work.

Calle del Museo 150
Coyoacán

Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil: This museum has a permanent collection of first-rank Mexican artists, with numerous works by Rivera, Siqueiros and Orozco.  Temporary exhibits are excellent too.

Museo del Carmen: This museum is in the former monastic quarters to one side of the Iglesia del Carmen.  Mainly devoted to colonial-era furniture and religious art.  A big tourist attraction are the mummified bodies in the crypt, which are thought to be 18th-century monks, nuns and gentry.

Museo Dolores Olmedo: The Olmedo museum has perhaps the biggest and most important Diego Rivera collection of all. It is a fascinating place, set in a peaceful 16th-century hacienda with large gardens. Dolores Olmedo, a wealthy socialite who still lives in part of the mansion, was a patron of Rivera, amassing a large collection of his art.

Ave. México 5843
Xochimilco
 

Museo y Santuario de Nuestra Señora Virgen de Guadalupe: The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, considered by Catholics to be the holiest site in the Western Hemisphere, is home to a church of striking modern design and an old church that pay tribute to México's patron saint.

Museum of Popular Culture  Coyoacán/San Angel - This museum shows many diverse aspects of Mexican popular culture. It has a great show of clothing and handicrafts.