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All Mexico Puebla Amparo Museum

Amparo Museum

This beautiful and unmissable little museum is full of fascinating artifacts from Mesoamerica's great civilizations.

Puebla, Mexico

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Mictlān Tēcutli
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The museum exterior.   MuseoAmparo/cc by-sa 3.0
An ancient Mayan ceramic artifact portraying a rabbit scribe god.   Éclusette/cc by 3.0
A pre-classic Totonac sculpture of a spider monkey   Éclusette/cc by 3.0
A Zapotec ceramic artifact depicting a nobleman in his finery.   Éclusette/cc by 3.0
Funerary artifacts found in a Mexica burial ground.   Éclusette
A selection of pre-Hispanic artifacts depicting various beasts.   Éclusette/cc by 3.0
A Mayan stelae depicting the god and goddess Ixchel and Itzamná before the creation of the world.   Salvador alc/cc by-sa 3.0
Pre-Hispanic sculpture of the head of a Xoloitzcuintle dog.   Éclusette/cc by 3.0
A Mayan ceramic artifact depicting a sinister figure.   Madman2001/cc by 2.5
A strange pre-Hispanic monster ceramic.   Éclusette/cc by 3.0
A skull-faced stone yoke from the pre-classic Totonac civilization.   Éclusette/cc by 3.0
The cafe terrace at the top of the museum with its view of cathedral   Alejandro
Portrait of Amparo Rugarcía (by Diego Rivera) at the museum   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
Amparo Museum   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
A pre-hispanic ceramic sculpture of a Puma , Totonac culture   Olivier Bruchez
Mayan artifacts   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Located in the city of Puebla and housed in two colonial-era buildings, the Amparo Museum (Museo Amparo), despite its smaller size, is one of Mexico's most important archeological museums—and sadly also one of the least-visited.

The museum holds a superb collection of historic artifacts from many of Mesoamerica's indigenous civilizations, such as the Maya, Aztecs, Zapotecs, and Olmecs, and many more besides. Here you can see Mayan stelae depicting the mythological story of the creation of the world; sculptures of rabbit-headed scribe gods; stone representations of Totonac gods of death; ceramic statues of powerful Zapotec lords; and numerous Aztec sculptures of animals like Xoloitzcuintle dogs, spider monkeys, jaguars, coyotes, and snakes.

But the pre-Hispanic collections are not the only thing to see here. There are also artifacts from Mexico's colonial and post-colonial past, such as baroque portraits of Catholic saints and Spanish/Criollo aristocrats; ornate ornaments and furniture; and handpainted retablos of miracles that are over a hundred years old.

At the top of the museum, on its roof terrace, there is a very nice restaurant and cafe with views over the city, where you can sit and relax after having observed all of the wonders the museum has to see. If you find yourself in Puebla, this little treasure trove of a museum is well worth a visit.

Related Tags

Archaeology Aztec Mesoamerica Mayan Cultures And Civilizations Museums Museums And Collections Colonialism Indigenous Artifacts

Know Before You Go

The Amparo Museum is open on weekdays (except Tuesdays, when it is closed) and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The regular entrance fee is $35 pesos but it is free to visit on Mondays and Sundays. The museum is easily found as it's located just a couple minutes from the historic center of Puebla and is signposted.

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Monsieur Mictlan

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Mario Yair TS

  • Mario Yair TS

Published

March 21, 2019

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Amparo Museum
708 Av 2 Sur
Puebla
Mexico
19.040776, -98.198696
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