Museo Amparo, Puebla
Ancient art in the Museo Amparo, Puebla. Photo
Brian Griffin.
Pre-Columbian relief. Photo
Brian Griffin.
Huasteca necklace of skulls. Photo
Brian Griffin.
El Pensador Olmeca (the Olmec Thinker). Photo
vicguinda.
Other ancient artifacts on display. Photo
vicguinda.
Location map and aerial view of Museo Amparo. For a larger interactive view, see our Puebla Map.
Housed in an 18th-century Baroque hospital, the Museo Amparo in Puebla displays a major collection of pre-Columbian and colonial Mexican art.
History
The Museo Amparo was founded in 1991 in a former hospital and mansion of the 18th century. The museum is named for the deceased wife of the founder.
What to See
The first eight rooms of the museum are devoted to Pre-Columbian art and artifacts (arte Prehispanico), displaying more than 2,000 objects from the Preclassic period to the Postclassic period.
The section begins with an introduction to Mesoamerican culture that includes a multilingual video exhibition on Mesoamerican art and a timeline comparing its developments with other contemporary cultures around the world.
The first artifacts encountered by visitors are the most important: a Huasteca necklace of 17 skulls carved from bone, the "Olmec Thinker" statue, and a Mayan altar from Palenque. In the following rooms there are hundreds more intriguing statues and figurines, as well as some murals and reliefs.
The museum's second floor is dedicated to Spanish colonial art (arte virreinal) from the 17th to early 19th centuries. Here the interiors of the mansion, dating from the 1870s, have been fully restored.
Highlights of this section include a painting of Our Lady of Guadelupe in a silver frame, Manuel Tolsa's model for the altar in Puebla Cathedral, and an unusual statue of St. Anthony of Padua from the 18th century.
Quick Facts
| Site Information | |
| Names: | Museo Amparo |
| Location: | Puebla, Puebla, Mexico |
| Faiths: | Original/Primary: Indigenous Current/Secondary: Christianity |
| Category: | Museums |
| Date: | 1991 |
| Visitor Information | |
| Address: | 2 Sur No. 708, Puebla, Puebla, Mexico |
| Coordinates: | 19.040782° N, 98.198424° W (view on Google Maps) |
| Phone: | 222-229-3850 |
| Website: | www.museoamparo.com |
| E-mail: | difusion.amparo@gmail.com |
| Opening hours: | Wed-Mon 10am-6pm. Closed Tuesdays. |
| Cost: | 35 pesos adults; 25 pesos children. Free admission on Mondays. |
| Official tours: | English-speaking guide can be hired for $20 |
Travel Resources
- Puebla Map - our detailed interactive map of Puebla, plus hand-picked links to more
- Puebla Hotels - check availability, maps, photos and reviews, and book at the guaranteed lowest price
Article Sources
- Museo Amparo - official website
- DK Eyewitness Travel Guide to Mexico (2003), 152.
- Museo Amparo - Frommer's Mexico
Last updated on January 20, 2010.
