Since its inception, the Museum of Anthropology and History, which was its name when founded in 1934, was the place to find out about the cultural diversity of the state of Chiapas from the early days. The means of acquiring the archeological and historical objects has varied, from excavations to donations and loans, and even by confiscation. One of the main priorities is to conserve, manage and record the artifacts held in the museum collections.

Ever since 1984, the museum has had suitable spaces for exhibitions and for a range of cultural activities. The permanent galleries present displays on Zoque, Olmec, Maya, Chiapas and Izapa cultures, and naturally on the complex period of the Conquest, with the difficult centuries when the native population was converted to Christianity, and with the arrival of Spanish, black, mulatto and German people who established the region’s principal estates, and which over the years have come to create the social make-up of the state as it is today.

The Regional Museum has barely changed in its 33 years. It is devoid of the interactivity, technology and modernity which typify today’s museums. It owes its present-day dynamism to the range of activities it hosts throughout the year whose aim is to maintain its high profile as one of the most important museums in Chiapas.

The installations were built with the display of the archeological collections in mind, and over time these have grown, while the historical collections were added. There are now additional spaces, such as the temporary exhibition area, the auditorium and the education services section.

Educational workshops have been run here since 1985, and the Regional Museum has been a pioneer in this field since one of its objectives is to make the archeological and ethnographic material on display accessible to students. For this reason, most visitors are students at different levels of study.

The facilities are located on the verdant, culture-rich street of Calzada de los Hombres Ilustres close to other important state museums: the Faustino Miranda Botanical Garden (opened in 1949), the Natural History Museum and the Paleontology Museum.

Our museum has earned its place in the hearts of our visitors because we safeguard artifacts from the state’s different cultural regions and above all because we protect our archeological and historical heritage, revitalizing the identity of the people of Chiapas and of Mexico.