Amparo Museum

The Amparo Museum is located inside the historic center of Puebla. It was built inside two colonial-era buildings from the 16th and 18th centuries. In 1991 they were converted into a museum, which has quickly become one of the most culturally important in Mexico. The museum has a vast collection that consists of pre-Columbian, colonial, modern and contemporary art. It has done an incredible job of exploring the history of Mexico over the last 4500+ years.

The two buildings have served many purposes during their history. The oldest of the two buildings was built in 1534, and was used to house the Hospital de Nuestra Señora y San Juan de Letrán. It was the first hospital in Puebla until the 18th century, when it was turned into a woman’s refuge. The second building was built during the 18th Century. In 1871 it became the residence of the Espinoza family, who were responsible for the formation of the museum in 1991.

In 2013, the museum underwent several upgrades which helped to modernize the museum into it’s current form. The museum had several floors to explore, including an incredible rooftop patio with some incredible views of the city. It really was a world class exhibition.

The History of Mexico

The permanent collection at the Amparo museum explores a lot of Mexico’s ancient history. On the first floor of the collection, there are 8 rooms with over 2000 pieces that date back as far as 2500 BCE. There are many incredible examples of pre-hispanic art from across Mexico, from the Aztecs to the Mayans. It is very well curated collection of different types of art and pottery from many different cultures in Mexico.

On the second floor of the museum, some of the rooms that were located in the old residence of the Espinoza family have been restored and are on display. These rooms are preserved to show a snapshot of life for some members of Puebla’s more well off during the 19/20th centuries. The walls of these rooms have some incredible paintings from this era. These have many great examples of Baroque found in all forms, from the kitchen to the office, and into the bedroom.

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Other parts of the museum were used to showcase modern and contemporary art. The museum does a great job of promoting art from across Mexico, from the ancient past to the future. One of the top highlights from the museum was the rooftop patio. From here we got some incredible views of the city from above.

Puebla had many great attractions and the Amparo should be near the top of that list. We really enjoyed our visit to the museum, but sadly this was the last thing we did before we boarded a bus out of town. Puebla left a lasting impression on both of us. We did a lot during our short stay and are already looking forward to going back again soon.

Amparo Museum

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