In pre-Hispanic times, the territory of Querétaro was part of the Central-Northern region of Mexico, inhabited by various Indigenous groups, including the Otomi, Nahua, Tarascan, Pame, and Jonace peoples.

This gallery explores the exchange networks, social organization, and political structures of the groups that settled in the Querétaro region during this period. Highlights include the establishment of early agricultural settlements along the San Juan River, the communities that occupied the Querétaro Valley and experienced the influence of the Teotihuacan state, and later, the clear Toltec presence visible in the El Cerrito archaeological site. In the Sierra Gorda, distinctive cultural traits are preserved in the archaeological sites of Ranas, Toluquilla, and San Rafael, where mining—especially of cinnabar used in ritual ceremonies—played a central role.