Frommer's Review
Occupying approximately 4,100 sq. m (44,132 sq. ft.), Mexico City's anthropology museum is regarded as one of the top museums in the world. It offers the single best introduction to the culture of Mexico.
Inside the museum is an open courtyard (containing the Chávez Morado fountain) with beautifully designed rooms running around three sides on two levels. The ground-floor rooms are devoted to history -- from prehistoric days to the most recently explored archaeological sites -- and are the most popular among studious visitors. These rooms include dioramas of Mexico City when the Spaniards arrived, and reproductions of part of a pyramid at Teotihuacán. The Aztec calendar stone "wheel" occupies a proud place.
Save some time and energy for the livelier and more readily comprehensible ethnographic rooms upstairs. This section is devoted to the way people throughout Mexico live today, complete with straw-covered huts, recordings of songs and dances, crafts, clothing, and lifelike models of village activities. This floor, a living museum, strikes me as vital to the understanding of contemporary Mexico because of the importance of pre-Hispanic customs in Mexican village life.
A sweeping restoration took place during 2000 and 2001. The $13-million (£6.5-million) refurbishment project was the first since the museum opened in 1964. Over 2,000 new artifacts and information garnered from some 200 recent digs were incorporated throughout the 23 rooms. In addition, new computerized touch-screen technology with video images and sound depicting rituals and customs are on display, providing visitors with a richer, more interactive experience. Exhibit signs now display English as well as Spanish explanations.
The museum has a lovely, moderately priced restaurant with cheerful patio tables. Note: Most of the museum is wheelchair accessible; however, assistance will be needed in places.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
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planning your trip.
