Maya Museum Opens in Cancun with 350 Archeological Artifacts

The Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) announced the inauguration of one of the destination’s most anticipated attractions -- Cancun’s Maya Museum following six years of construction. It is the largest project in Mexico built by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) since the Templo Mayor Museum was constructed in 1987.

The museum includes 350 archeological artifacts that took 30 years of research to procure, including relics from recent excavations and other that have never been exhibited before. Other displays in the museum were previously exhibited in such venues as the Museo Regional de Yucatan or “Canton Palace,” and the former Archeological Museum of Cancun.

Cancun’s Maya Museum boasts three exhibition halls of more than 4,400 square feet, including a permanent and temporary venue exhibiting national and international exhibitions. A highlight when first entering the museum is an exhibition of 14,000-year-old skeletal remains that were discovered in Tulum’s underwater caves.

The museum first exhibition room is dedicated to the Mayan population that resided on what is now Quintana Roo and features the remains of the Woman of the Palms. These remains were found in a cenote in 2002 and it is estimated that this person lived 10,000 years ago during the Ice Age. Wildlife and stone tools of this time period are also displayed here.

The second exhibition room was designed to represent the diversity of the regions that make up the area. The Sala Maya or “Maya Room” showcases aspects of Mayan architecture, art and other artifacts that ancient Mayans used on a daily basis. Sculptures and architectural fragments of Chichen Itza, the Yucatan and a collection of ancient engraved bricks from the city of Comalcalco in Tabasco are also exhibited.

The 55,000-square-foot Cancun Maya Museum was designed by Alberto Garcia Lascuráin. The exhibition rooms are elevated over 3,000 feet above sea level to prevent the possibility of flooding. They are also equipped with modern security systems, special lighting system and temperature and humidity control for the proper preservation of the artifacts.

Cancun’s Maya Museum and the archeological site of San Miguelito are located in Cancun’s Hotel Zone. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., except on Thursday (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) Tickets cost around $5 for access to both the museum and San Miguelito site. Children under 13 and adults over 60 years old receive free admission.

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