Museums of Mexico City, Mexico
National Museum of Anthropology
This is a world famous museum that focuses on Mesoamerica and Mexican history. To walk the whole museum would be about five kilometers.
The most famous piece in the museum is the Aztec calendar, shown above. Supposedly the sun in the middle of it is missing its nose because an American soldier shot it off.
The museum also has artifacts from several primitive cultures before the time of religion, representing people and their symbols more in touch with nature. You can also see an extensive display of weapons, stone cooking devices, jewelery, and statues. There is also a huge fountain outside (shown above) with many symbols of Mexican heritage. It also has additional information about many of the ruins around Mexico City, such as Teotihuacan, and how the pyramids were originally intricately painted. It is located within the Bosque de Chapultepec, which is a huge urban forest park that has many other museums, monuments and excavations.
Frida Kahlo Museum
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are probably the most famous Mexican artists. Here, you get to visit the house that Frida grew up in and where she and Diego lived in for several years. It is a blue house located on a corner, full of large rooms and peaceful gardens. The museum has many portraits and self portraits from throughout Frida’s life and some paintings by Diego. There are also photographs of them, as well as interesting photographs of Soviet socialists. The museum tries to create a representation of their lifestyle, with kitchens and bedrooms set up. It is located in a beautiful, upscale and colorful neighborhood in the Coyoacan district that is also pleasant to walk around.
Museo Mural Diego Rivera
This small museum has two floors, both of which have Mexican art, such as photographs and wood-cut prints. On the first floor, there is a huge, famous mural by Diego Rivera from 1947, called “Sueno de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central,” which means “Sunday Afternoon Dream in the Alameda Central.” It has many depictions of the history of both Mexico and Mexico City, as well as moments of Diego’s life.
Palacio de Bellas Artes
This art museum and theather is located in a huge building that is an art nouveau palace, which was designed by an Italian architect in the early 20th century. It has murals painted onto its walls by Diego Rivera, Roberto Montenegro, Jose Clemente Orozco and more, representing several moments, struggles and symbols of Mexican history. This palace also holds an elegant theater that puts on performances like Mexican folklore-inspired dances. Its rotating exhibits range from dark, abstract paintings to sculptures to colorful psychedelic pop art. It is located east of the Alameda Central, by a nice little park that sells all sorts of crafts and delicious street food.
Note: In many of Mexico City’s museums, the majority of the signs are only in Spanish. Tour guides and audio guides in many different languages are plentiful.