We suggest some of the most prestigious institutions in Europe and America
Few disciplines have such a rich, broad, and complex scope as anthropology. Focused on the study of physical features and human sociocultural manifestations, this science focuses its field of study on four complementary branches: biology, culture, linguistics and archeology. However, some of them are largely unknown to the general public. And when that happens: what better than an anthropology museum to approach them in an entertaining and pedagogical way?
If you also want to explore them more thoroughly and in the first person, while some of the best examples of human evolution and its extraordinary technical development parade before your eyes, we encourage you not to miss visiting some of the 10 best museums in anthropology of the world.
Although it is likely that you will miss a relevant institution – we have tried to give priority to those found in Europe and Latin America – in any of the centers on this list, surprises await you that will amaze you. Do the test!
1) Museum of Anthropology at British Columbia University (Vancouver, Canada). This institution owes its well-deserved fame to its exhibitions on art and culture from around the world, in which objects originating from the Pacific Northwest stand out. In total, its collection houses 38,000 ethnographic objects and 535,000 archaeological pieces. In addition to attracting a large number of visitors, its facilities also carry out intense teaching and research activities, as there are courses on art, anthropology, archeology, conservation and museology.
2) Museum of Anthropology of Xalapa (Xalapa-Enríquez, Mexico). Considered the second most important anthropology museum in Mexico – it is only surpassed by that of the capital of the country – it has the second largest collection in the world of pre-Hispanic art from Mesoamerica. This holds about 2,500 pieces, most of them belonging to the Olmec, Totonac and Huasteca cultures, among other peoples of the Gulf of Mexico. Likewise, it is also worth mentioning an extensive ethnographic exhibition about the indigenous peoples that currently live in the State of Veracruz.
3) National Museum of Anthropology (Madrid, Spain). Inaugurated in 1875 by King Alfonso XII under the name of the Anatomical Museum, it can boast of being the oldest in Spain of its kind. Its rooms accommodate documents and objects from countless peoples on the five continents, most of which are linked to daily life, rituals, religion, war conflicts or clothing. Likewise, it also dedicates part of its facilities to physical anthropology. In this block, it is worth referring to an important collection of deformed skulls from Peru and Bolivia and of human skeletons – such as that of Agustín Luengo Capilla, the Giant Extremeño , 2.38 cm high – as well as four Andean mummies and a Guanche .
4) National Museum of Anthropology (DF, Mexico). Built in the 1960s and located in the Parque del Bosque de Chapultepec, this impressive museum recreates the history of ancient Mexican civilizations, through an exhibition organized by geographic regions. Among the themes that are represented, the first settlers of Mesoamerica and the rooms dedicated to Teotihuacán, Tula (Toltecs), Mexico (Aztecs), Oaxaca (Mixtecs and Zapotecs) and the Gulf of Mexico (Olmec, Totonac and Huastec) stand out, without forget the one that revolves around the Mayans. Among its most important pieces, it is worth mentioning the Atlanteans of Tula, a huge Olmec head, an Aztec calendar, a Mayan mask of the solar god, the tomb of King Pakal de Palenque and the murals of Bonampak.
5) National Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History of Peru (Lima, Peru). Founded on April 2, 1822 by José Bernardo de Tagle and located in the emblematic Plaza de Bolívar, it is the oldest museum in the country. Its rooms bring together one of the best collections of pre-Inca and pre-Columbian art in the world, with pieces as remarkable as the Raimondi stela from Chavín, the mantles of Paracas or the obelisk of Tello.
6) Museum of World Culture (Gothenburg, Sweden). Opened to the public in December 2004 and housed in a building designed by the London architects Cécile Brisac and Edgar González, this museum is the heir to the old Ethnographic Museum and its impressive Latin American collections. In addition, it promotes interesting temporary exhibitions that address topics such as interculturality in the era of globalization.
7) Museum of Ethnology (Vienna, Austria). This institution, whose official name in German is Museum für Völkerkunde, is the largest museum of anthropology in Austria . Located in the Hofburg Imperial Palace, it houses 250,000 ethnographic and archaeological objects from Africa, Asia, America and Oceania. Its inventory includes Aztec pieces of great value – such as the Montezuma plume -, part of the James Cook collection on Polynesia, the Charles von Hügel collection, dedicated to Southeast Asia, and two tables from Easter Island.
8) Muelle Branly Museum (Paris, France). This institution — in French, Musée du quai Branly, and also known as the Museum of First Arts or Museum of Arts and Civilizations of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas — recreates the ways of life of ancient non-Western civilizations. Inaugurated in June 2006, it draws on the ethnology collection of the Museum of Man and the collections of the National Museum of Arts of Africa and Oceania. In total, the museum houses 300,000 objects.
9) Linden Museum (Stuttgart, Germany). Without a doubt, it is one of the largest and most important ethnographic museums in all of Europe. Its permanent exhibition exhibits everyday objects and rituals from Africa, the Middle East, Asia and America, without neglecting the folklore of the Old Continent. Among its main attractions, we find a Tibetan temple, a Japanese tea house and recreations of oriental bazaars.
10) Royal Museum of Central Africa (Tervuren, Belgium). Although it was created as an example of Belgian colonialism, this anthropology museum has established itself as one of the main research centers on Africa in the world. Its collections bring together objects for everyday use, including a rosary of spectacular masks. The institution has a space dedicated to the colonial period and another, with interactive resources, that brings the visitor closer to the reality of the Central African peoples of the 21st century. In addition, the museum regularly organizes various cultural activities, such as music and dance performances and lectures.
