The National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City

No trip to Mexico City is complete without a trip to the largest museum in the country, which takes days to truly appreciate but is certainly a nod to the country’s present history as well as its pre-Hispanic past that included groups like the Mixtecas, Purépechas, Olmecs and, of course, both the Mayans and the Aztecs.

The museum opened in Paseo de la Reforma Avenue in the massive and massively busy Chapultepec Park. However, to truly enjoy the museum, try to experience it on both a weekday and a weekend. Don’t worry, there is plenty to see and it is a massive space that makes fantastic use of a number of outdoor areas as well as the myriad galleries inside the museum.

A photo posted by jeanette nevarez (@agospelofdirt) on Jul 25, 2016 at 4:18pm PDT

Once you approach the museum, you’ll be greeted by a large statue of Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain, which took the Mexican architect, Pedro Ramírez Vázquez nearly two years to complete after it was commissioned following the rainstorm that saw the museum open its doors nearly 50 years ago.

To give you an idea of the size both inside and out, the museum covers nearly 80,000 square meters with more than 35,000 outdoor areas where you can relax when it all becomes too much culture.

A photo posted by Nora Antonio (@nor.ant) on Jul 25, 2016 at 11:12am PDT

These open-air areas which separate the galleries that focus on the distinct people of Mexico mentioned early makes the museum considerably less exhausting than many of the world’s museums.

The Archeology museum is stunning in its scope, art and educational value and needs to be seen to truly be appreciated.

National Museum of Anthropology

Av Paseo de la Reforma & Calzada Gandhi

Chapultepec Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo 11560

Ciudad de Mexico, D.F., Mexico

52 55 4040 5300