Museo Maya de Cancún

The Museo Maya de Cancún is the place to give a beach trip some historical depth. Run by INAH, Mexico's national institute of anthropology and history, it opened on 2 November 2012 at kilometre 16.5 of Boulevard Kukulcán, in the middle of the Hotel Zone. It replaced Cancún's first archaeological museum, which opened in 1982 beside the Convention Center and was closed for good in 2004 after repeated hurricane damage.

The building, by architect Alberto García Lascurain, is made up of three raised pavilions with ceilings about eight metres high, linked by walkways under pergolas. Gallery walls use hurricane-resistant glass, so you look out over the trees of San Miguelito and the Nichupté lagoon as you move between rooms. A sculpture by the Dutch artist Jan Hendrix stands at the entrance above a reflecting pool.

The core of the collection is the most important archaeological material from Quintana Roo, alongside selected pieces from Palenque, Chichén Itzá and Comalcalco. One hall covers the pre-Hispanic cultures of Quintana Roo: how the coast was settled, the rise and fall of Maya political power, the encounter with the Spanish and early archaeological work in the region. A second hall, Maya: A People in History, looks at writing, calendars, politics, warfare, architecture, daily life, religion and the ballgame. Temporary exhibitions fill a third space. Look out for the carved head that gave the nearby El Rey ruins their name, which INAH says is displayed here.

The ticket also covers San Miguelito, a Maya settlement dated to roughly 1250 to 1550 that opened together with the museum. The site has around 40 structures and a pyramid of about eight metres. Together the museum and site take up some 20 acres, so allow two hours for both.

INAH lists the museum as open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30, and closed on Mondays. Tickets can be bought online through INAH's ticket portal, with separate rates for Mexican and foreign visitors, and Mexican citizens enter free on Sundays. Flash photography, food, smoking and pets are not allowed, and professional cameras carry an extra charge. The building has a spiral ramp, a straight ramp and two panoramic lifts, and there is a snack bar, bookshop and gift shop.

It is a good choice for families on a rainy or very hot day, and for anyone planning to visit Chichén Itzá or Tulum who wants context first. Combine it with El Rey, about a kilometre and a half further south on the same boulevard.