Attraction
Museo Nacional de Antropología
Mexico's national museum of archaeology and anthropology, a 1964 building in Chapultepec whose 23 halls hold the Sun Stone and treasures from every Mesoamerican culture.
Museo Soumaya Plaza Carso
A free private art museum in Nuevo Polanco, opened in 2011, whose six levels run from Old Masters and Impressionists to a top-floor hall of Rodin sculpture.
At a glance
- Type
- Art museum
- Area
- Nuevo Polanco, Mexico City, Mexico
- Opening
- Open daily · 10:30–18:30
- Official site
- museosoumaya.org
Good to know
- Free entry
- Open daily
- Six gallery levels
Why we recommend it
The Museo Soumaya is a private, non-profit museum with a very large collection of around 66,000 works, and its headquarters at Plaza Carso in Nuevo Polanco opened in 2011 as part of a redevelopment of a former industrial area, and the museum describes its construction as an engineering challenge. The building, by the architect Fernando Romero, is 46 metres tall and clad in 16,000 hexagonal aluminium tiles, and it is named after Soumaya Domit, the late wife of its founder Carlos Slim. Admission is free and it is open every day from 10:30 to 18:30.
The galleries are spread over six levels. A narrow entrance opens into a large white hall, where Rodin's "The Thinker" is displayed together with large works by Diego Rivera and Rufino Tamayo. Level 1 is devoted to gold and silver, coins, medals and decorative objects. Level 3 holds European and New Spanish painting, with names such as Cranach, El Greco, Rubens, Artemisia Gentileschi and Cristóbal de Villalpando. Level 4 moves on to 19th-century landscapes, the Impressionists and the avant-garde, including Monet, Van Gogh, Degas and Miró. Levels 2 and 5 host temporary exhibitions.
The top floor is the highlight for many visitors: an open hall lit by daylight and filled with sculpture by Auguste Rodin and his circle, including Camille Claudel and Antoine Bourdelle, along with sculptures by Salvador Dalí. Many people start at the top and work their way down through the levels.
Allow one and a half to two hours. Because entry is free and the museum opens daily, including Mondays, when the INAH museums such as the Museo Nacional de Antropología and the Templo Mayor are closed, it is a useful plan for the first day of the week.
The museum faces Plaza Carso, which has shops and restaurants. The Museo Jumex, a contemporary art museum, is only about 90 metres away across the plaza, and the Acuario Inbursa aquarium is next door, so the three are easy to combine. The Turibus Polanco circuit stops in front of the aquarium on Avenida Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca. The museum also runs a second site at Plaza Loreto in the south of the city.
Museo Soumaya Plaza Carso FAQs
Is the Museo Soumaya free?
Yes. The museum's website states that entry is free.
When is it open?
Every day from 10:30 to 18:30, including Mondays.
What is on the top floor?
A large hall of sculpture by Auguste Rodin and his circle, including Camille Claudel and Antoine Bourdelle, as well as sculptures by Salvador Dalí.
Which painters are in the collection?
The museum displays Old Masters such as Cranach, El Greco and Rubens, and later artists including Monet, Van Gogh, Degas and Miró.
How long should I allow?
About one and a half to two hours.
Who designed the building?
The architect Fernando Romero; the 46-metre building is clad in 16,000 hexagonal aluminium tiles.
What is nearby?
The Museo Jumex is about 90 metres away and the Acuario Inbursa is next door.
Is there another branch?
Yes. The museum also has a building at Plaza Loreto in the south of the city.