The La Venta site museum is unique in the southern Gulf coast region.

The building which houses the museum combines modern architectural elements and indigenous tradition. There are wide and tall roofs worked from palm leaves, supported by structures built from singularly beautiful mangrove stems. This combination creates fresh spaces protected from the sun and a worthy setting for exhibiting a sample of one of the most ancient cultural expressions of pre-Hispanic Mexico.

The content is also unique in the way it provides visitors with up-to-date information on Olmec civilization with a special emphasis on its expression at La Venta. The collection is made up of artifacts which have mainly come from the recent excavations of the site, with the addition of donations and loans from the National Museum of Anthropology. The museum ambiance is agreeable and enriched by a range of media including maps, information panels, photographs, models, dioramas and games alongside the collection of monumental and portable stonework, ceramics and stone tools.

Another significant factor in this museum is that it displays two imposing sculptural groups in Galleries 1 and 4, laid out exactly as they were displayed by the ancient Olmecs. No other museum in the world exhibits Olmec sculpture in this way. This museum also has Monument 25/26 which is the tallest stela from the site’s sculptural corpus, while Monument 53 in Gallery 1 is heavier than any other Olmec sculpture from La Venta.