The Museum of Maya Culture in Chetumal

In the center of Chetumal, the Museum of Maya Culture (Museo de la Cultura Maya) is one of the most important museums devoted to the Maya civilization in Mexico. It gives a full picture of the history, traditions and achievements of the people who built the great cities of the Yucatán Peninsula.

The visit follows the Maya view of the cosmos. The permanent exhibition sits on three levels arranged around a sacred ceiba, the Yaxché: the underworld below, everyday life on the middle floor and the heavens above. A recreated jungle cuts through the building on all three levels, with the calls of birds and howler monkeys recorded in the region. Along the way you move from farming and trade to architecture, beliefs, mathematics and astronomy. The large scale models of Maya cities are a highlight (some you look down on through a glass floor), and in the garden there is a full-size reproduction of a traditional Maya house.

The exhibits are made to be handled and explored: detailed models, multimedia displays, and pieces and reproductions from Maya sites. The museum also explains the calendar system and the central place of corn in Maya life. You do not need to be a history buff to enjoy it. It is an easy, engaging way into one of the most advanced civilizations of the ancient world, and one of the best stops in Chetumal and the south of the peninsula.