Mexico City is an extraordinary destination that blends its concrete jungle with the folklore of an exquisite culture, making it an ideal place to visit and wander through its streets and discover its historical past. With 170 museums, Mexico City occupies one of the top spots among the cities with the most museums in the world.
Its cultural offer is on a par with other big cities like Buenos Aires, Paris and Madrid. One of the most popular areas to visit is Polanco, and it’s not just for its glamorous upmarket shops and theatres as you can also find a large number of cultural venues, among which the following are considered highlights:
- Soumaya de Plaza Carso Museum
This state-of-the-art building with its asymmetrical structure encompassing soft, curved shapes is located in the Nuevo Polanco district and was opened on March 29th, 2011, evoking the sculptural work of Rodin. This wonderful building was designed by the Mexican architect Fernando Romero and engineered with Ove Arup and Frank Gehry.
The inside of the museum is divided over six floors, all connected by elevators and a spiral outer ramp. Its chronological discourse and some of the exhibits on display for you to enjoy are the Entrance Hall – The Gates of Hell; Level 1 – Gold and Silver Decorative Arts; Asia in Ivory; European and Novohispanic Old Masters; From Impressionism to the Avant-garde; Venice Museo Soumaya Collection, and The Rodin Era.
Open from 10.30am to 6:30pm, Saturday until 8pm *Closed on Tuesday* | Av. Revolución y Río Magdalena –Eje 10 Sur– Tizapán, San Ángel, Mexico City.
- National Anthropology and History Museum
Opened on September 17th, 1964, this museum is the largest and most visited in Latin America and home to one of the world’s most important works of museography. You’ll find archaeological pieces, ethnographic exhibitions of the various indigenous groups that inhabited the country, paintings and murals from the 20th century along with other collections.
It covers almost 80,000m2 with indoor and outdoor spaces including courtyards, gardens, service areas and 22 exhibition rooms located around the central courtyard with a reflecting pool and a beautiful fountain with Tláloc, the god of water emerging from below the water.
Open from 9am to 7pm *Closed on Mondays. | Av. Paseo de la Reforma -Zona Bosque de Chapultepec- S/N, esquina con Calzada Gandhi, Col. Polanco V Sección, Miguel Hidalgo.
- Jumex Museum
The contemporary art collection started by Eugenio López Alonso in the 1990s is today one of the largest and most important in Latin America. It opened its doors to the public in November 2013 as an institution devoted to contemporary art, with the aim of not only serving a broad and diverse public but also becoming a laboratory for experimentation and innovation in the arts.
A building of little more than 6700m2 incorporates open spaces and a staggered roof to take full advantage of the natural sunlight. The museum exhibits the recovery of the artworks from the collection developed in conjunction with the MoMA PS1, along with a wonderful mechanical piece that functions as a clock on the floor and also a mechanical planetarium.
Open from 11am to 8pm Tuesday to Sunday. *Closed Monday* | Address: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 303, Colonia Granada, 11520 Mexico City.
- Chapultepec Museum
In the beautiful Chapultepec forest, a green space coverges with the city, and it’s also where you’ll find the only monarchist castle in all of Latin America that was built in 1785: Chapultepec Castle.
This magnificent complex is divided into two areas, the museum and the Alcázar, and has 19 rooms where you can admire a variety of pieces including the flag of the First Empire, the gold crown with rubies and diamonds that belonged to Benito Juárez, prehispanic sculptures, maps of the first designs of the city, oil paintings from the beginning of the 18th century, clothing and jewellery.
The Alcázar is where it is possible to observe the day to day life of those who lived in this beautiful castle. The building displays a combination of neoclassical and neogothic architecture, with different key moments from Mexico’s past converging in its walls, gardens and lounges.
Opening hours: 9am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday *Free entrance on Sunday* | Address: 1a. Sección del Bosque de Chapultepec.
- Tamayo Museum
The Tamayo Museum produces innovative international contemporary art exhibitions, as well as artworks from its founder, the artist Rufino Tamayo.
Located in the first section of the Chapultepec Park, the building was designed by the Mexicans, Teodoro González de León and Abraham Zabludovsky, and their design made them the deserving winners of the National Prize for Arts and Science (Fine Arts category) in 1982. The building integrates the surrounding terrain and vegetation and gives the feeling that it’s popped up out of the ground to embrace the natural surroundings.
The collection of more than 300 artworks that make up this artistic heritage represent the change that took place in the international culture of that period when several aesthetic concepts were questioned and gave rise to new manifestations.
Open from 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday.*Closed Monday* | Address: Paseo de la Reforma 51, Bosque de Chapultepec, I Secc. 11580. Mexico City.
These museums encourage you to embrace the wealth of culture they hoard by offering the possibility to discover both national and international heritage. A visit to these museums not only represents a visit to Mexico but also across the world and its artistic manifestations.
