Best Musueums in Mexico City

Best museums in Mexico City in 2022

Mexico City is the second city with more museums in the world, right after London, and one of them holds the title of the most visited museum in the world and definitely is the best museum in Mexico City. Each one is unique, and the themes go from history and archeology to museums dedicated to shoes, sugar, perfume, and others.

If you are traveling to Mexico City, one of the best things to do is to visit a Museum or more.

Out of the 160+ museums in Mexico City, here’s a list of some best and most important ones.

The best museum in Mexico City and the most visited in the World

Museo Nacional de Antropologia (National Anthropology Museum) 

The National Anthropology Museum is the most visited museum in the world, which holds the most extensive collection of Mexico´s pre-Hispanic civilization. Make sure you have plenty of time before you step into the extraordinary museum, as it’s also one of the largest museums in the world. The museum starts in the prehistoric age before moving slowly through Mayan and Aztec history, into the Spanish colonial era, and then onto the modern era.

Observe the Voladores de Papantla (Papantla Flyers) performance 

This ancient ceremony can be seen outside the museum. This ritual is an expression of respect for nature and the universe. First, men climb a 20 to 40m (65ft to 131ft) high pole, while another plays the flute and a drum to honor the Sun and the four winds. Then four men launch themselves to the sky, tied up with long ropes, and spin upside down, imitating the flight of the birds, slowly descending until they come back down.

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Museo de Frida Kahlo – Considered by many another must-see museum in Mexico City

Located in the beautiful neighborhood of Coyoacan is the Frida Khalo museum, which is one of the best museums to visit in Mexico City. This is the former home of famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, where she lived with Diego Rivera and eventually died. Today her house has been transformed into an art museum dedicated to her work, life, tragedies, and the reason for her success. You can walk around the kitchen, studio, her bedroom and see some of her paintings, dresses, personal belongings, and photographs. You will also find Diego Rivera´s and other artists´ artwork.

Museo Suomaya is definitely one of the best museums in Mexico City

Founded by the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim and named in honor of his late wife and Mexican philanthropist Soumaya Domit, the Suomaya museum is home to an incredible art collection. Inside the museum, you can find artwork dating back as far as the early Mayan period, from classic Mexican artists like Rufino Tamayo, José Clemente Orozco, and Diego Rivera, to European artwork from Auguste Rodin, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, El Greco, and Vincent Van Gogh. Carlos Slim owns the second biggest Rodin art collection, which can be found on the sixth floor, where his famous sculpture The Thinker is exhibited.

Museo Nacional de Historia (National History Museum)

Inside the Castillo de Chapultepec (Chapultepec Castle), you will find one of the only royal palaces built in North America. The historic location features exhibitions of Mexican history from the colonial era into the Mexican Wars of Independence and then the Mexican Revolution, all defining events that helped develop the Mexico of today. 

Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (Museum of Contemporary Art)

Mexico´s beautiful National University (UNAM) campus, which is the largest and oldest university on the American Continent, opened its doors to the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2008. This museum has remarkable modern architecture with an inclining glass façade and a fountain that mirrors the building. This museum collaborates with London´s Tate Modern, Barcelona´s Museu d´Art Contemporani, and New York´s Museum of Modern Art, making it part of the best museums in the world.

Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes

A palace and a museum Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes in the Centro Histórico, can be found inside one of the most beautiful buildings in the Mexican capital. The museum displays the wonderful works of art that the Palace is so famous for

Jumex Museum

Jumex museum is a contemporary art museum that opened in 2013 and houses probably the most extensive private art collection in Latin America, with more than 2000 art pieces by Mexican and international artists. It promotes, assembles, and shares contemporary art in all its forms and acts as a platform for new artists.

Museo de Arte Moderno (Modern Art Museum)

The Bosque of Chapultepec is the home of the Modern Art Museum, which features national and international modern art collections of the 20th century, and it’s one of the most important in Latin America. You will find artists like Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, etc. The interior gallery has an impressive golden dome, and, on the outside, there is a Sculpture Garden that surrounds the museum.

The Chocolate Museum is considered by chefs one of the best museums in Mexico City

This museum is a common meeting place for chocolate lovers, historians, artists, chefs, producers, and consumers of cacao, which presents the fascinating history behind chocolate. From its origins in the jungles of the Americas to the chocolate bars you can buy in the shops today.

The best museums in Mexico City for kids

Papalote Museo del Niño

Not all is history or art; the Papalote Museo del Niño boasts some of the best facilities and the most advanced technology you can’t find in similar museums around the world. The museum is divided into six areas: The Trip Begins, My Body, Mexico Alive, My Home, My Family, My City, and the Idea Laboratory. In each one of these areas, kids will use their hands and senses to discover, learn, design, and even artistically express themselves.

Museo de Historia Natural (National History Museum)

Also, for kids, the Museo de Historia Natural (National History Museum) boasts a unique structure of 10 concrete semi-spheres designed by the architect Leónides Guadarrama. Here you will find their most-visited piece: a replica of a complete Diplodocus carnegii skeleton. This dinosaur lived in the western region of the United States 150 million years ago.

There are literally hundreds of museums to visit in Mexico City, and this guide of the best museums in Mexico City barely scratches the surface. In addition, there are many more niche and lesser-known museums to visit, so we invite you to be prepared to be enthralled by Mexico City’s vast array of wonderful museums.