Experience the history and culture of the Maya people at this museum
Cancun’s Maya Museum features the largest modern structure ever built by the National Institute of Anthropology and History since the Templo Mayor Museum in 1987. Built on an area of over 55,000 square feet, the museum includes 350 archeological artifacts that took 30 years to collect. Three exhibition halls include two permanent areas and one temporary venue for national and international exhibits.
The museum’s entrance features a fountain with three sculptures built by the artists Jan Hendrix, meant to symbolize the vegetation of the area. Upon entering, visitors are met by an exhibit of 14,000-year-old skeletal remains that were discovered in Tulum’s underwater caves.
The first exhibition room is dedicated to the Maya population that once resided on what is now Quintana Roo, focusing specifically on the remains of the 10,000-year-old La Mujer de las Palmas, or The Woman of the Palms. The second exhibition room, which was designed to represent the area’s diversity, features a Maya Room to showcase Mayan architecture, art and daily life artifacts.
Located next to the museum is the San Miguelito archeological site, which was inhabited more than 800 years ago until the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. Visitors can take in both the museum and the archeological site for a single admission price.
