Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia facts for kids
The Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) is a special government office in Mexico. Its name means National Institute of Anthropology and History. It was started in 1939 to help protect Mexico's amazing past.
INAH makes sure that old things like ancient buildings, tools, and bones are studied and kept safe. This includes everything from prehistoric times to important historical sites built between the 16th and 19th centuries. This organization has been very important in saving Mexico's rich cultural heritage. Its main office is in a beautiful building called the Palace of the Marqués del Apartado.
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What INAH Does
INAH works with another group called the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL). Together, they find and protect important buildings and monuments. INAH focuses on very old sites (from before the Spanish arrived) and historical places from the 1500s to the 1800s. INBAL takes care of buildings and art that are important for their beauty.
All these special places are listed in a public record. This record helps everyone know which sites are protected.
How INAH is Organized
INAH does its work through a special team called the Technical Secretariat. This team makes sure all the main jobs are done well. They have seven main offices across the country. There are also 31 local centers in different states of Mexico. This helps them manage sites all over the country.
Protecting Mexico's Past
This important office is in charge of more than 110,000 historical buildings. These were built between the 16th and 19th centuries. It also looks after about 29,000 ancient sites from before Columbus. Experts believe there are around 200,000 such sites in Mexico! About 150 of these ancient places are open for people to visit.
INAH also manages over a hundred museums. These museums are found all over Mexico. They are grouped by how big their collections are and how many visitors they get. For example, INAH keeps more than 500 ancient wall paintings from Teotihuacan safe in storage.
Important Researchers
INAH honors its most famous researchers with a special title called "emeritus." This title is given to people who have done amazing work in their field. As of 2009, 16 people have received this honor. They are recognized for their important studies and discoveries about Mexico's history and culture.
- Dra. Beatriz Barba Ahuatzin
- Dra. Beatriz Braniff Cornejo
- Dr. Fernando Cámara Barbachano
- Dra. Johanna Faulhaber Kamman (1911–2000)
- Arqlgo. Francisco González Rul Hernández C. (1920–2005)
- Dra. Doris Heydenreich Zelz (1915–2006)
- Dra. Sonia Lombardo Pérez Salazar
- Mtro. Leonardo Manrique Castañeda (1934–2003)
- Mtro. Eduardo Matos Moctezuma
- Dra. Margarita Nolasco Armas
- Dr. Julio César Olive Negrete
- Mtra. Alicia Olivera Sedano
- Dr. Román Piña Chan (1920–2001)
- Mtro. Arturo Romano Pacheco
- Mtro. Javier Romero Molina (1910–1986)
- Mtro. Constantino Reyes-Valerio (1922–2006)
See also
In Spanish: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia para niños
- Museo Nacional de Antropología
- Doris Heyden
- Returned Treasures Program
