Museo Nacional de Historia

Learn about the fascinating and sometimes violent history of the city and country you are about to explore.

Mexico City’s Museo Nacional de Historia inside Chapultepec Castle is a great place to begin your exploration of the beauty and history of Mexico. Climb to the top of the castle hill for great views around the city and enter the museum to understand the stories of Aztec civilization, Spanish colonization and religious transformation that created the Mexico of today.

Enjoy a walk along the small lake in the wooded park of Bosque de Chapultepec. Look up at the immense Chapultepec Castle, built on the top of formerly sacred Aztec ground by Spanish officials in the late 1700s. The castle became a presidential residence until it was given to the people of Mexico to hold the national museum, which opened in 1944. You may recognize parts of the castle as settings for the 1996 film Romeo + Juliet.

When you first enter the castle, look up to the mural of the Niños Héroes, teenage Mexican military cadets who died defending the castle from U.S. Marines during the Mexican-American War in 1847. This castle holds the “halls of Montezuma” referenced in the U.S. Marines’ Hymn. A large monument to the young boy heroes stands near the entrance to the park.

Visit the museum’s collections of artworks, coins, documents, costumes, technology and furniture which provide a fascinating perspective of the events in Mexico’s history from the conquest of the Aztecs through the 20th century. Artworks focus on religious threads throughout this time. Numerous murals by famous national artists capture detailed stories of important moments in time, such as the fall of the Mexican Empire and the progress of the Mexican Revolution.

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, with free admission on Sunday. Teachers, students with ID, seniors and children under 13 have free admission any day. Ride the metro to the Auditorio or Chapultepec stops to access the Bosque de Chapultepec park. Walk or take a train up the small hill to reach the castle and the Museo Nacional de Historia. A second portion of the museum’s collection is in the Alcázar, about 3 miles (5 kilometers) east on Paseo de la Reforma.