Know Before You Go: Visiting the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City

This vast exhibition space is full of Mexican culture and history artifacts, though if you’re wondering exactly what to see at the Anthropology Museum, here are the top recommendations. The first floor of the museum covers all things archaeology, and features the central patio where you can see the El paraguas water feature, a definite museum must. On this floor, the exhibition halls are broadly divided between regions and cultures, such as Maya, Mexica, and Teotihuacán.

Meanwhile, the top floor focuses on ethnography, and is again divided into regions and peoples, including Otopame and Oaxaca. You can spot some of the top Aztec artifacts in Mexico City on either floor.

Insider tip: Don’t skip the Mexica room, where you’ll find the Aztec sunstone, and be sure to look out for Moctezuma’s headdress, too.

Like most Mexico City museums and attractions, the Anthropology Museum is closed on Mondays, though it’s open throughout the year from Tuesday–Sunday, between 9am and 6pm daily. Sundays offer free entry to Mexican nationals and residents, which is great if you qualify, but less great if you’d rather avoid the crowds.

Aim to get there early, and plan to spend at least a couple of hours exploring, if you only make a beeline for the highlights, or stroll through the rooms at a gentle pace. However, if you want to see everything the museum has to offer, repeat visits should be expected.

Insider tip: If you’re visiting Mexico City during the summer rainy season, this is an especially good spot to take shelter from the downpours.

Tickets to the Anthropology Museum don’t tend to sell out, so you shouldn’t worry about buying them in advance. Given the sheer size of the museum, you should be able to get a ticket on the day with no issue, so just pop in while you’re visiting Chapultepec Park. Each adult ticket (children under 13 go free) costs $100 Mexican pesos (around US$6), though for Mexican nationals and residents, Sundays offer free entry.

However, to take a guided tour of the museum—definitely worthwhile, because of just how large and sprawling the museum is—booking in advance is recommended, to ensure you can lock down the time and day that works best for you.

Given the overwhelming scale, size, and scope of the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City it’s absolutely worth taking a guided tour that can narrow down the best things to see, help you learn more than you would while visiting independently, and make sure you get the most of the experience.

Though there are free Spanish-language tours held daily at the museum, you can also book guided English-language tours, as well as private experiences for you and your group, and options that combine visits to the museum with other top attractions, such as Chapultepec Castle.

For a visit to the Anthropology Museum, wear clothes you feel comfortable strolling around in all day and that can seamlessly transition from interior to exterior spaces. Layers are definitely recommended, while the summertime rainy season means that wearing waterproof jackets or packing an umbrella are both great ideas.

Aside from that, comfortable shoes (such as sneakers or boots) are a must for all the walking between exhibition halls you’ll be doing.

The Anthropology Museum is wheelchair accessible, as there's elevator access between the two floors of exhibition halls, and all layouts feature wide and navigable corridors. There are also wheelchair accessible bathrooms on each floor, as well as wheelchairs available for rent. For those with mobility issues, who need to pause and take a break every now and again, there are seats and benches scattered throughout the museum, too.

Conveniently located in Chapultepec Park, the largest urban green space in Latin America, the Anthropology Museum is surrounded by lots of places that you can visit before or after, not least the park itself. Take advantage of the walkable paths to stroll to another nearby museum.

If you cross Avenida Reforma to the other side of the park, the Mexico City Museum of Modern Art (Museo de Arte Moderno) is an easy walk from the Anthropology Museum, or you can visit the zoo, Chapultepec Castle, or even take a walk around Chapultepec Lake.

Insider tip: Take a look at this Mexico City museums guide for more inspiration.

• When did the Anthropology Museum open? The Anthropology Museum opened in 1964, and covers almost 20 acres (8 hectares).
• How many exhibition halls are there at the Anthropology Museum? There are more than 20 exhibition halls in the Anthropology Museum, many of which house permanent collections of Mexican artifacts.
• Is it worth visiting the Anthropology Museum? It’s definitely worth visiting the Anthropology Museum, one of the best museums in Mexico City, which offers a thorough insight into Mexican culture and history.
• Are all Mexico City museums closed on Mondays? Yes, pretty much. In fact, one of the biggest tips for visiting museums in Mexico City is to skip Monday! However, the Museo Soumaya in Polanco, the Museo de Ripley, and the MUJAM, among others, all open Monday.