Mexico City: Art, Design & Culture
After living in Mexico City for a year, these are the museums, galleries, and cultural spaces that left the biggest impression on me. Whether you’re visiting for a weekend or a month, this is where I’d begin.
Chapultepec Castle
One of the best parts about visiting this historic landmark is experiencing the vastness of Chapultepec Park at the same time. Mexico City’s Bosque de Chapultepec is the oldest and largest urban park in Latin America, and one of the oldest urban parks in the world. At the top of the hill, more than 7,000 feet above sea level, sits Chapultepec Castle.
Now home to the National Museum of History, visitors can wander the former presidential residence through galleries, gardens, historic interiors, and museum collections for hours. Not to mention, Chapultepec Castle offers some of the best views over Mexico City while stepping into the country’s past.
National Museum of Anthropology
On the edge of Chapultepec Park, the National Museum of Anthropology showcases the world’s largest collection of ancient Mexican art, spanning thousands of years of the region’s history. Most notably, the architect designed a covered portion of the central courtyard so visitors could move between exhibitions regardless of the weather. The monumental column fountain, playfully nicknamed El Paraguas (“The Umbrella”), features reliefs inspired by Mesoamerican cosmology.
The Maya archaeology galleries are just as remarkable as the heritage they represent.
Museo Soumaya
Located in the Polanco neighborhood of Mexico City, Museo Soumaya is impossible to miss. Its sculptural exterior reflects light from every angle, drawing attention long before you step inside. The museum houses one of the most significant private art collections in Latin America, spanning more than thirty centuries.
Its soaring six-story spiral interior provides the perfect backdrop for thousands of years of carefully curated art.
Museo Jumex
Right next to Museo Soumaya, Museo Jumex offers the perfect modern counterpoint, with rotating exhibitions in a bold, contemporary space. Home to one of Latin America’s most important contemporary art collections, its exhibitions are minimal, current, and always evolving.
This understated museum lets the work speak for itself, supporting the art community through exhibitions, site-specific installations, cultural programming, and artistic responses to the building itself.
MAIA Contemporary
While exploring Roma Norte’s thriving art district, stop by MAIA Contemporary inside Casa Basalta, a residence built in 1910. The gallery showcases both established and emerging artists through exhibitions that are thoughtful, approachable, and consistently engaging.
Palacio de Bellas Artes
Walking through one of the oldest Sears department stores still operating in the world leads to one of the best views of Palacio de Bellas Artes. This iconic cultural center hosts performing arts, literary events, and rotating exhibitions while also housing the National Museum of Architecture and the Museum of the Palace of Fine Arts.
Its blend of Art Nouveau, Neoclassical, and Art Deco architecture makes it one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.
Tip: The best view is from the terrace of Café Don Porfirio on the eighth floor of the Sears building across the street.
Casa Estudio Luis Barragán
Despite living in Mexico City for a year, I never made it inside. Every time I tried to reserve tickets, the house was closed or the exhibition wasn’t open. The preserved home of architect Luis Barragán is considered one of the most significant works of 20th-century architecture in Mexico, so if it’s on your list, book well in advance.
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