Hall of Mexico and Central America
The Hall of Mexico and Central America features the diverse art, architecture, and traditions of Mesoamerican pre-Columbian cultures through artifacts that span from 1200 BC to the early 1500s.
On display are collections of monuments, figurines, pottery, and jewelry from the Maya, Toltec, Olmec, Aztec, and other Mesoamerican cultures, which offer clues about the political and religious symbols, social characteristics, and artistic traditions of the respective groups.
Works on view in this hall include ninth-century Mayan stone carvings that depict warrior-lords bearing weapons. These carvings offer invaluable insights into the ancient Mayan civilization, a collection of independent city-states that alternately warred and traded with each other. Another remarkable artifact is a 3,000-year-old jade sculpture known as the Kunz Axe. Made from one of the most precious materials in the region, the part-human, part-jaguar figure is one of the largest jade objects ever found in Mesoamerica.
Get an in-depth look at more than 1,400 artifacts on display in the Hall of Mexico and Central America.
View more than 50,000 archaeological and ethnographic objects from Mexico and Central America in the online collection database.
This hall is included with any admission.
Enjoy free tickets for General Admission, special exhibitions, giant-screen movies, planetarium shows, and more!