SANTA ELENA, YUCATÁN.- A new museum devoted to the archaeology, history and living culture of the Maya has opened at the Kabah Archaeological Zone in Yucatán, bringing together more than 250 objects and the results of two decades of research across the Puuc region.

The Puuc Archaeological Museum was developed by Mexico’s Ministry of Culture through the National Institute of Anthropology and History, known as INAH, with a total investment of approximately 227 million pesos. The project included the construction and outfitting of the museum, as well as a new visitor services facility at the archaeological site.

Located near some of the most important ancient Maya cities in the region—including Uxmal, Sayil, Labná and Xlapak—the museum is intended to offer visitors a broader understanding of the societies that shaped the Puuc landscape.

The opening ceremony was led by Mexico’s secretary of culture, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, alongside Yucatán’s secretary of culture and the arts, Patricia Martín Briceño; INAH director Omar Vázquez Herrera; INAH’s director in Yucatán, Víctor Martínez Rojas; and the officials responsible for the Kabah and Uxmal archaeological zones, Lourdes Toscano Hernández and José Huchim Herrera.

Curiel de Icaza described the museum as a new point of entry into one of the most remarkable regions of Maya civilization.

Each object on display, she said, bears witness to the people who once lived in the area and helps researchers reconstruct their histories, ask new questions and better understand the communities that built the region’s cities and roads.





She also emphasized that Maya culture should not be viewed only as part of the distant past. It continues to live through the languages, knowledge, community traditions and relationships with the land maintained by Maya communities across Yucatán.

Speaking on behalf of Yucatán Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena, Patricia Martín Briceño said the project was made possible through cooperation between different levels of government and continued dialogue with the community of Santa Elena.

INAH director Omar Vázquez Herrera noted that the museum will support the protection, study and public presentation of the region’s archaeological and ethnographic heritage.

Opening the museum, he said, makes that ancestral legacy more accessible not only to visitors but also to the people living in nearby communities, who continue to preserve and sustain it.

The museum’s collection includes 189 archaeological objects recovered or studied through research projects carried out over the past 20 years. These are presented alongside 62 historical and artistic works that expand the exhibition’s account of the region.

Together, the 251 objects examine the social, political, economic and religious structures of the ancient cities of the Puuc. Interactive displays and immersive elements have also been incorporated to help visitors engage with Maya civilization and the discoveries made through INAH’s archaeological work.

The building itself is closely connected to the region’s architectural traditions. Constructed on a site measuring 2,739 square meters, the museum takes inspiration from the layout of the Nunnery Quadrangle at Uxmal, one of the best-known examples of Puuc architecture.

Its design is organized around a central space represented by a traditional Maya house. From there, the museum extends toward the four cardinal directions, reflecting the Maya conception of the universe and encouraging visitors to consider the relationship between architecture, territory and worldview.

The project also included a new 196-square-meter visitor services facility at Kabah, intended to improve access and the overall experience of touring the archaeological zone.

Of the total investment, 211.7 million pesos were allocated to the museum’s construction, while nearly 16 million pesos were used for the visitor services unit.

With the new museum, Mexican cultural officials hope to strengthen Kabah’s role as a center for archaeological research, conservation and public education, while giving visitors a fuller picture of the Puuc region and the generations of people who have shaped it.