This iconic architectural feature serves both a functional and symbolic role, providing shelter while emphasizing harmony with nature through its cascading water. Its monumental canopy—measuring 82.06 by 54.42 meters—is supported by cables connected to surrounding buildings, making it one of the largest suspended roofs in the world, covering a total area of 4,467.5 square meters.

The central column is clad in bronze and features a sculptural relief created by the Chávez Morado brothers, based on a concept and narrative by Jaime Torres Bodet. The composition is titled "Image of Mexico" and is structured around the four cardinal directions, each interpreted as follows:

• East View – The Integration of Mexico: Spanish ships arrived from the eastern coast. At the base, the pre-Hispanic past is represented by the eagle and jaguar—symbols of day and night. Between them lie the sword of conquest and the rising sun. The sword pierces the roots of a ceiba tree, a Maya symbol of creation, which opens at the top into two faces—one an idol, the other a Spaniard—symbolizing the foundation of Mexican mestizaje. Above them rests the eagle, emblem of modern Mexico.
• West View – Mexico’s Projection: This projection toward the world begins with the expedition to the Philippines. Pre-Hispanic symbols at the base give way to a symbol of nuclear fission on the ceiba. Above, a man with open arms and exposed innards, flanked by olive branches and a dove, offers himself completely to peace.
• North and South Views – The Mexican People's Struggle for Freedom: Three weapons pierce the column—symbolizing Mexico—and represent the country's three formative eras: Independence, the Reform period, and the Agrarian Revolution. The capital is crowned by pre-Hispanic forms symbolizing the sky. The sculpture’s cardinal orientation is echoed by radial steel beams supporting the monumental roof, reinforcing the universal dimension of Mexican culture.

Beneath the courtyard and its structures lies another world: 15,000 square meters of space housing educational services, workshops, offices, labs, research areas, archives, and annexes that have supported the museum’s operations for decades.