Museums in Mexico

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

The striking jade death mask of an ancient Maya king is displayed in a replica tomb in Mexico City.

This ancient jade mask depicting the Zapotec bat god was found in the ruins of the pyramids of Monte Alban.

The turquoise-studded skull of a long-dead Aztec man sits within Mexico City’s Museum of Anthropology.

The most complete statue of this Aztec god sits a top a throne carved with images of hallucinogenic plants.

These unusual paintings give thanks to the saints and deities who granted people favors and miracles.

The Mexican painter Diego Rivera created this unusual museum to display his collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts.

This colossal ancient jaguar sculpture was used as a vessel for the hearts torn from sacrificial victims.

The conquistador's former fortress is the oldest preserved colonial building in the Americas.

A small pack of an ancient, hairless breed of dog once believed to guide souls through the underworld lives on its grounds.

An archaeological museum at the Aztec pyramid displays signs of the New Fire ritual performed every 52 years.

The remains of an Aztec school and various intriguing artifacts lie below a modern cultural center.

An extravagant 18th-century fountain built with bits of broken ceramic.

This immense scene of a cosmic battle between a jaguar and serpent illustrates the Aztec concept of the duality of life.

On a cornerstone of the City Museum is the head of a monstrous serpent stolen from an Aztec pyramid 400 years ago.

The burial place of some of Mexico's most prominent residents is full of macabre stories and hidden masonic symbols.