Rafael Mijares Alcérreca and Jorge Campuzano. The construction of the building lasted 19 months, and was inaugurated on September 17, 1964, President
Adolfo López Mateos
Adolfo López Mateos (; 26 May 1909 – 22 September 1969) was a Mexican politician who served as President of Mexico from 1958 to 1964.
Beginning his political career as a campaign aide of José Vasconcelos during his run for president, Ló ...
, who declared:
The Mexican people lift this monument in honor of the admirable cultures that flourished during the Pre-Columbian period in regions that are now territory of the Republic. In front of the testimonies of those cultures, the Mexico of today pays tribute to the indigenous people of Mexico, in whose example we recognize characteristics of our national originality.
The film
Museo tells the story of the famous robbery to the National Museum of Anthropology on December 25, 1985, in Mexico City.
Exhibits
The museum's collections include the Stone of the Sun, giant stone heads of the
Olmec
The Olmecs () were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization. Following a progressive development in Soconusco, they occupied the tropical lowlands of the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. It has been speculated that ...
civilization that were found in the jungles of
Tabasco
Tabasco (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco), is one of the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa.
It is located in ...
and
Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
, treasures recovered from the
Maya civilization
The Maya civilization () of the Mesoamerican people is known by its ancient temples and glyphs. Its Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas. It is also noted for its art, a ...
, at the ''
Sacred Cenote
The Sacred Cenote ( es, cenote sagrado, , "sacred well"; alternatively known as the "Well of Sacrifice") is a water-filled sinkhole in limestone at the pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site of Chichen Itza, in the northern Yucatán Peninsula. It ...
'' at
Chichen Itza, a replica of the sarcophagal lid from
Pacal's tomb at
Palenque
Palenque (; Yucatec Maya: ), also anciently known in the Itza Language as Lakamhaʼ ("Big Water or Big Waters"), was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that perished in the 8th century. The Palenque ruins date from ca. 226 BC to ca. 799 AD. ...
and
ethnological
Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). ...
displays of contemporary
rural
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...
Mexican life. It also has a model of the location and layout of the former Aztec capital
Tenochtitlan
, ; es, Tenochtitlan also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, ; es, México-Tenochtitlan was a large Mexican in what is now the historic center of Mexico City. The exact date of the founding of the city is unclear. The date 13 March 1325 was ...
, the site of which is now occupied by the central area of modern-day
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
.
The permanent exhibitions on the ground floor cover all pre-Columbian civilizations located on the current territory of Mexico as well as in former Mexican territory in what is today the southwestern United States. They are classified as North, West,
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...
, Gulf of Mexico, Oaxaca, Mexico, Toltec, and Teotihuacan. The permanent expositions at the first floor show the culture of Native American population of Mexico since the Spanish colonization.
The museum also hosts visiting exhibits, generally focusing on other of the world's great cultures. Past exhibits have focused on ancient
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
,
China,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
, and
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
.
Exhibits gallery
See also
*
Doris Heyden Doris Heyden (née Heydenreich; June 2, 1905 – September 25, 2005) was a prominent scholar of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, particularly those of central Mexico. She was born in East Orange, New Jersey, United States. She died on Septembe ...
Further reading
* Aveleyra, Luis. "Plantación y metas del nuevo Museo Nacional de Antropología. ''Artes de México'', época 1, año 12, no. 66-67: 12-18. Mexico 1965.
*Bernal, Ignacio. ''El Museo Nacional de Antropología de México''. Mexico: Aguilar 1967.
*Castillo Lédon, Luis. ''El Museo Nacional de Arquelogía, Historia, y Etnografía''. Mexico: Imprenta del Museo Nacional de Arquelogía, Historia, y Etnografía 1924.
*Fernández, Miguel Ángel. ''Historia de los Museos de México''. Mexico: Fomento Cultural del Banco Nacional de México 1987.
* Florescano, Enrique. "The Creation of the Museo Nacional de Antropología of Mexico and its scientific, educational, and political purposes." In ''Nationalism: Critical Concepts in Political Science'', edited by John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith. Vol. IV. pp. 1238–1259. London and New York: Routledge, 2000. Reprinted from ''Collecting the Pre-Columbian Past: A Symposium at Dumbarton Oaks 6th and 7th October 1990'',
Elizabeth Hill Boone
Elizabeth Hill Boone (born September 6, 1948) is an American art historian, ethnohistorian and academic, specialising in the study of Latin American art and in particular the early colonial and pre-Columbian art, iconography and pictorial c ...
(ed.), Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1993, pp. 83–103.
* Galindo y Villa, Jesús. "Apertura de las clases de historia y arqueología." ''Boletín del Museo Nacional'' I: 22–28, Mexico 1911.
* Galindo y Villa, Jesús. "Museología. Los museos y su doble función educativa e instructiva." In ''Memorias de la Sociedad Científica Antonio Alzate'' 39:415-473. Mexico 1921.
*
León y Gama, Antonio de ''Descripción histórica y cronológica de las Dos Piedras''. Mexico: Instituto Nacional de Antropología 1990.
* Matos, Eduardo. ''Arqueología e indigenismo''. Mexico: Instituto Nacional Indigenista, 1986.
* Matute, Alvaro. ''Lorenzo Boturini y el pensamiento histórico de Vico''. Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 1976.
* Mendoza, Gumersindo and J. Sánchez, "Catálogo de las colecciones históricas y arqueológica del Museo Nacional de México." ''Anales del Museo Nacional'' pp. 445–486. Mexico 1882.
* Núñez y Domínguez, José, "Las clases del Museo Nacional." ''Boletín del Museo Nacional'', segunda época: 215–218. Mexico 1932.
* Paz, Octavio. ''Posdata''. Mexico: Siglo Veintiuno Editories 1969.
* Ramírez Vázquez, Pedro. "La arquitectura del Museo Nacional de Antropología". ''Artes de México'', época 2, 12 (66-67): 19–32. Mexico: 1965.
* Villoro, Luis. ''Los grandes momentos del indigenismo''. Mexico: Casa Chata 1979.
Notes
References
External links
Official websiteWebsite of the INAHVirtual tour of the National Museum of Anthropologyprovided by
Google Arts & Culture
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nacional De Antropologia
Museo Nacional De Antropologia
Anthropology museums
Archaeological museums in Mexico
Museo Nacional
History museums in Mexico
Mesoamerican art museums
Museums established in 1964
Museums in Mexico City
National museums of Mexico
Museo Nacional
Museo Nacional De Antropologia