Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología
Guatemala's national archaeology museum, holding the country's principal collection of Maya sculpture and jade.
Known locally as MUNAE, the museum descends from the national museum created by government decree in 1898, with a separate archaeology section formed in 1931. It moved to the Finca La Aurora parkland in Zone 13 in the 1940s, occupying a purpose-built pavilion that faces the Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno across a formal plaza. Around 4,200 square metres of galleries are supported by a further 2,000 square metres of conservation and research space, making it the largest archaeological repository in the country.
The holdings run to roughly 35,000 archaeological objects and 15,000 ethnographic ones, drawn from excavations across the Petén lowlands, the highlands and the Pacific piedmont. Stone monuments include Stela 3 from Ceibal and carved panels from Dos Pilas, while cases of Late Classic jade from Nebaj and polychrome vessels show court art at close range. The ethnology wing documents Guatemala's twenty-odd Maya language groups through textiles, masks, musical instruments and scale models of vernacular houses.
Highlights
- Stela 3 from Ceibal, a Terminal Classic limestone monument
- Late Classic jade plaques and mosaic masks from Nebaj
- Carved limestone panels and thrones from Dos Pilas and Piedras Negras
- Ethnology galleries of highland textiles, masks and house models
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