Day 13 : Mexico City – A Day at the Museum

No major sight seeing today, as spent the day at the National Museum of Anthropology (Museo Nacional de Antropologia), located in Chapultepec. 

The Museum was strongly recommended by a number of locals, containing significant archaeological and anthropological artefacts from prehispanic Mayan civilizations to the Spanish conquest, such as the Stone of the Sun (or the Aztec calendar stone) and the Aztec Xochipilli statue.

The trip to the Museum led me through the Chapultepec park, and was warmly welcomed by a number of furry friends.  There were at least 8 squirrels running around the area, and were very friendly with people as they came really up close for food.  Most squirrels I had seen thus far tend to be afraid of people, but the ones in Mexico had no fear. 

One of them climbed up my leg the moment I arrived.  More worried about them scratching or attacking me for not having food handouts, I let out a yelp, which probably scared the squirrel, as it hurriedly scrambled down my leg. 

Look at how cute they are!

It was a long walk through the park to the Museum, and hearing that most people would spend a few hours inside the Museum, I popped at one of the street stores for an early lunch and ordered an Olmeca Torta – Sandwich on a grill with Milanese, Sausage, Cheese and some avocado, jalapenos and onions as garnishing. 

It was massive, and I could only finish half of it.  Saw a gardener nearby pruning the park and I offered the other half to him, which brought a wide grin to his face.  Glad that the food didn’t come to waste.

There was a long queue waiting to buy tickets when I arrived.  Upon walking into the main complex, I was greeted by an iconic umbrella roof supported by a single column, representing a mythological tree and depicts eagles and jaguars — all important symbols to the prehispanic natives.

The building is split into two-levels : The upper level show how Mexico’s indigenous descendants live today, containing a lot of their lifestyles, customs and traditions. 

The lower floor is split into 12 salas (halls) :

1. Culturas Indígenas de México Currently serves as a space for temporary exhibitions.

2. Introducción a la Antropología Introduces visitors to the field of anthropology.

3. Poblamiento de América Demonstrates how the hemisphere’s earliest settlers got here and survived and prospered in their new environment.

4. Preclásico en el Altiplano Central Focuses on the pre-Classic period, treated here as running from approximately 2300 BC to AD 100, and the transition from a nomadic hunting life to a more settled farming existence in Mexico’s central highlands.

5. Teotihuacán Displays models and objects from the Americas’ first great and powerful state.

6. Los Toltecas y su Época Covers cultures of central Mexico from about AD 650 to 1250. On display is one of the four basalt warrior columns from Tula’s Temple of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli.

7. Mexica Devoted to the Mexica, aka Aztecs. The famous sun stone, unearthed beneath the Zócalo in 1790, and other magnificent sculptures from the pantheon of Aztec deities can be found here.

 

8. Culturas de Oaxaca Displays the fine legacy of Oaxaca’s Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations.

9. Culturas de la Costa del Golfo Spotlights the important civilizations along the Gulf of Mexico, including the Olmec, Totonac and Huastec. Stone carvings include two Olmec heads weighing in at almost 20 tonnes.

10. Maya Exhibits findings from southeast Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras, including a full-scale replica of the tomb of King Pakal, discovered deep in the Templo de las Inscripciones at Palenque.

11. Culturas del Occidente Profiles cultures of western Mexico.

12. Culturas del Norte Covers the Casas Grandes (Paquimé) site and other cultures from northern Mexico, and traces their links with indigenous groups of the US southwest.

Some of the displays includes English translations, but they are far and few in between, so understanding the entirety as a non- Spanish speaker was a challenge.  Information can be rather overwhelming though, particularly as I struggle to put the pieces together on the history, based on the limited English translations offered here.

It did give a better overview of the different cultures, particularly since I will be visiting some of the Mayan ruins when I am back in Mexico after Cuba. The areas on the ground level was definitely more interesting for me like Maya, Mexica, Teotihuacan, possibly also because they were easier to relate to. 

It still took me about 3.5 hours at the Anthropology Museum, and while coming to the end of my visit, a random thought pop into my head as I suddenly recalled the movie “Night at the Museum” – What would a statue like this even say if it came alive?!?