Mexico City’s world-renowned National Museum of Anthropology just had its best year yet

January 12, 2026

Patio MNA — The museum is famous for its collection of Indigenous artifacts, but it is an architectural wonder in and of itself. (Archivo Digital MNA)

The National Museum of Anthropology (MNA) in Mexico City broke its all-time attendance record in 2025, welcoming over 5 million visitors during that year.

According to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), the museum received 5.04 million visitors last year, easily surpassing the 3.78 million visitors it received in 2024.

MNA visitors — The 5 million visitors in 2025 set an all-time record for annual MNA attendance. (Camila Ayala Benabib/Cuartoscuro)

The increase solidifies the museum’s status as one of the most visited cultural venues in Mexico and Latin America, both by national and international guests.

Cultural authorities have noted that this record reinforces the museum’s role as a global benchmark in research, conservation and dissemination of the heritage of Indigenous cultures of ancient and contemporary Mexico.

The MNA has a long history dating back to the old Mexican National Museum of the nineteenth century. Today, it houses the most important archaeological and ethnographic collections in the country. It is located in the capital’s Chapultepec Park and was designed by renowned architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez.

Among its vast collection, the MNA houses pieces such as the Sun Stone, Olmec sculptures and rooms dedicated to civilizations such as the Maya and the Mexica.

In recognition of the MNA’s contribution to culture, the museum was awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for Concord by the Princess of Asturias Foundation of the Spanish government last year.

This momentum coincides with changes to the museum’s admission fees. This year, entrance to the MNA goes from 95.58 pesos (US $5.34) to 209.09 pesos (US $11.68), up 119% according to the Federal Law of Rights (LFD). Mexicans and legal residents are eligible for a 50% discount.

The MNA’s visitor figures reflect Mexico’s landscape regarding international tourism, according to the national statistics institute (INEGI), November saw 15.6% more international tourists than in the same month of 2024, bringing the total to just over 8.7 million foreign tourists. In contrast, the previous year, Mexico saw 7.6 million.

These figures also sustain the upward trend in overall tourism in Mexico, which welcomed 45.03 million international tourists in 2024, up 7.4% from 2023. Final 2025 figures for international tourism in Mexico have not yet been released.

With reports from Once Noticias, Milenio and Reto Diario