Museo Nacional de las Culturas facts for kids
Above the main entrance of the museum
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| Established | December 1965 |
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| Location | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Type | Anthropology |
| Visitors | 369,865 (2017) |
| Public transit access | Metro Zócalo (Line 2) |
The Museo Nacional de las Culturas (which means National Museum of Cultures) is a special museum in Mexico City. It teaches people about cultures from all over the world, both from long ago and today.
The museum is in an old building. This building used to be a place where coins were made, called a mint. Even before that, it was the site of a famous Aztec building known as Moctezuma's Black House. The mint moved in 1850. The building was used for different things until it became the museum we know today in 1966.
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The Aztec Past of the Museum Site
The museum stands on a very old and important spot. It was once part of the "New Palaces" of Moctezuma II, the Aztec ruler. One special room was called the "Casa Denegrida" or "Black House." Spanish explorers described it as a dark room with no windows, painted black.
In this Black House, Moctezuma would think deeply about what his seers and shamans told him. During the Spanish invasion, this Black House and the rest of Moctezuma's palaces were almost completely destroyed.
Later, the Spanish king gave this land to Hernán Cortés as a reward. Cortés rebuilt the palace in a Spanish style. He used many stones from the old Aztec buildings. His son later sold the palace back to King Felipe V. It then became a palace for the Spanish rulers in Mexico.
Recently, scientists have dug up parts of a wall and a stone floor here. They believe these are pieces of the original Black House. More digging is planned to find out more secrets!
The Building as a Colonial Coin Mint
At first, coins were made in the city hall. But as the colony grew richer, more coins were needed. So, in 1731, the coin-making moved to this building.
The street where the museum is located is called Moneda. This means "coin" in Spanish, named after the mint that was here. The building was made even bigger between 1772 and 1779.
How the Building Became a Museum
In 1850, the coin mint moved to a new location. This building was then used by many different groups. These included a school for engraving, the highest court in Mexico, and government offices.
In 1865, Emperor Maximilian decided to open a public museum here. It was called the Public Museum of Natural History, Archeology, and History. It started with items given by a university and a museum founded by Guadalupe Victoria, Mexico's first president.
Early in the 1900s, a famous artist named Rufino Tamayo painted a mural here. It is called "La Revolución" (The Revolution). It shows scenes from the Mexican Revolution. You can still see this amazing painting in the lobby today.
Over time, many of the museum's collections moved to other places. The natural history items went to the Chopo Museum in 1909. Mexican history items moved to the museum at Castle of Chapultepec in 1944. By 1964, most of the remaining items went to the Museo Nacional de Antropología e Historia.
The National Museum of Cultures Today
This old building was declared a national monument in 1931. After the new Museum of Anthropology opened, this building was empty for a short time. Then, two people named Beatriz Barba and Julio César Olivé suggested turning it into a museum about world cultures.
After some repairs, the building opened as the Cultural Museum on December 5, 1965. Beatriz Barba was a deputy director there for many years. This museum is the only one of its kind in Latin America that focuses on cultures from all over the world, both past and present.
The museum has sixteen rooms for permanent displays. It also has three rooms for special, temporary exhibits. Some rooms show items from very old cultures, like cave paintings. Other rooms are about ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Greece, and Rome.
In the "Age of Exploration" room, you can see items from when Europeans first met the Americas. For modern cultures, there are exhibits from every continent. Some exhibits show cultures not well known in Mexico, like those from Samoa or New Ireland.
Since it opened, the museum has received over 12,000 items from around the globe. These include fabrics, glass, porcelain, photos, weapons, kimono, masks, jewelry, and sculptures. Many of these objects are original and very old. The museum still gets new donations. One recent gift was a beautiful board from Vietnam with mother-of-pearl designs.
Images for kids
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In Spanish: Museo Nacional de las Culturas para niños
