GoTourist
The courtyard and giant 'umbrella' canopy of the Museo Nacional de Antropología

No. 7 Top 100 Most Visited Art Museums 2025 · 5,048,893 visitors in 2025

Museo Nacional de Antropología

Mexico City, Mexico · City guide: Mexico City

Mexico's great museum of ancient civilisations, home to the Aztec Sun Stone, in Chapultepec Park.

Open in Maps Apple Maps

Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

The Museo Nacional de Antropología is No. 7 in The Art Newspaper's survey of the world's most visited art museums, with 5,048,893 visitors in 2025, up 36% on 2024. It opened in 1964 in Chapultepec Park, in a building designed by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, and holds one of the world's most important collections of pre-Hispanic art.

The ground-floor halls trace the ancient cultures of Mexico region by region, from Teotihuacan and the Toltecs to the Mexica (Aztecs), Oaxaca, the Gulf Coast and the Maya. The upper floor covers the indigenous peoples of Mexico today. The central courtyard is sheltered by 'El Paraguas' (the umbrella), a vast canopy resting on a single carved column with a cascade of water.

The Aztec Sun Stone in the Mexica Hall of the Museo Nacional de Antropología
The Aztec Sun Stone in the Mexica Hall of the Museo Nacional de Antropología. Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Best time to visit

The museum is closed on Mondays. Arrive at opening time on a weekday. Sundays are the busiest, as Mexican citizens and residents get free entry.

Highlights & collections

  • 1

    The Sun Stone

    The great carved Aztec basalt disc, found in Mexico City's main square in 1790, is the centrepiece of the Mexica Hall.

  • 2

    Coatlicue

    The colossal statue of the Aztec earth goddess, with a skirt of serpents and a necklace of hands and hearts.

  • 3

    Olmec heads

    Colossal stone heads from the Gulf Coast, made by the Olmecs, Mesoamerica's earliest civilisation.

  • 4

    Pakal's jade mask

    The Maya Hall displays the jade funerary mask of King Pakal of Palenque and a reconstruction of his tomb.

  • 5

    Teotihuacan Hall

    Includes a full-size reproduction of part of the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, in its original colours.

Getting there

The museum is on Paseo de la Reforma in Chapultepec Park. Auditorio station (Metro Line 7) is about a 10-minute walk away, and Chapultepec station (Line 1) about 20 minutes. Metrobús Line 7 runs along Reforma.

Visiting tips

Tickets & hours
Buy tickets at the museum. Check the official website for prices and hours.
Time needed
At least three hours; half a day for the highlights of both floors.
Currency
Mexican peso (MXN). Cards are accepted at the museum and most larger businesses; carry some cash for small purchases.
Safety
Chapultepec and the neighbouring Polanco district are busy and generally safe by day. Use authorised taxis or ride-hailing apps. The emergency number is 911.
Visa & entry
Citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, EU countries, Japan and many others do not need a visa for a tourist visit. Check the current rules for your nationality before you travel.

Official information: Museo Nacional de Antropología (official website). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.

Map

Open in Maps View larger map Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors