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| Museo Universum (UNAM) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Museo Universum (UNAM) |
| Native name | Museo Universum |
| Established | 1992 |
| Location | Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Mexico City |
| Type | Science museum |
| Founder | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México |
Museo Universum (UNAM) Museo Universum is the science museum operated by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México on the Ciudad Universitaria campus in Coyoacán, Mexico City. Founded to communicate scientific research and cultural heritage of the university, the museum connects exhibits to institutions such as the Instituto de Astronomía, Facultad de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias and collections related to Paleontology, Botany, Anthropology, Physics, and Chemistry. The museum engages audiences from local communities, national agencies like the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología and international partners including the Smithsonian Institution and the Natural History Museum, London.
The museum opened in 1992 during the administration of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México after planning involving the Comisión Federal de Electricidad, the Gobierno del Distrito Federal, the Secretaría de Educación Pública and academic units such as the Instituto de Biología and the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Early exhibits drew on collections from the Museo de Geología, the Colección Nacional de Paleontología, the Museo Universitario del Chopo and donations coordinated with institutions like the Biblioteca Nacional de México, the Museo Nacional de Antropología and the Museo de la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público. Renovations in the 2000s referenced collaborations with the Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia and international programs such as those run by the European Union and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Leadership transitions involved figures affiliated with the Facultad de Ciencias and the Coordinación de Humanidades, and programming expanded after partnerships with the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, the Instituto Politécnico Nacional, and cultural centers like the Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco.
Permanent and temporary exhibitions integrate materials from the Instituto de Astronomía, the Instituto de Geofísica, the Instituto de Biología, the Museo de Geología, the Colección Nacional de Paleontología and the Jardín Botánico UNAM. Notable specimen loans and displays have connected the museum with the Museo del Desierto, the Museo de Historia Natural de la Ciudad de México, the Museo de Minería, the Museo de Sitio de Teotihuacan, the Museo Nacional de Historia Castillo de Chapultepec and the Museo Tamayo. Exhibits have featured themes tied to the Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya and Aztec cultural spheres, alongside material from the Museo del Templo Mayor and research outputs from the Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas. Science-focused galleries present content related to Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and research influenced by figures connected to the Facultad de Medicina such as Luis Sierra and collaborations with the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán. Interactive areas reference innovations by Miguel Alemán Valdés era institutes, technological exhibits tied to the Instituto Politécnico Nacional and displays curated with participation from the Museo de Arte Moderno and the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo.
The museum building sits within Ciudad Universitaria—a UNESCO World Heritage site linked to architects and artists of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México campus including Mario Pani, Juan O'Gorman, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Its design responds to the campus master plan developed with input from the Dirección General de Obras y Conservación of the university and conservation guidelines set by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura. Facilities include exhibition halls, a planetarium area tied to the Instituto de Astronomía, laboratory spaces used in partnership with the Facultad de Química, collections storage built to standards aligned with the ICOM and the Museo Nacional de Antropología conservation practices. The venue's accessibility upgrades followed policies instituted by the Secretaría de Cultura and the Consejería Jurídica del Gobierno de la Ciudad de México to serve visitors from institutions like the Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación.
Museo Universum collaborates with the Facultad de Ciencias, the Facultad de Química, the Facultad de Medicina, the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria, and community partners such as the Sistema Nacional de Bibliotecas and the Red Nacional de Bibliotecas Públicas. Programs include workshops for students from the Colegio de Bachilleres, teacher training with the Secretaría de Educación Pública, citizen science projects with the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología and exhibition tours developed with the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. Outreach extends to festivals and events organized with the Cineteca Nacional, the Festival Internacional Cervantino, the Universidad de Guadalajara and international exchanges with the Museum of Natural History, New York and the Canadian Museum of Nature.
Conservation and research integrate laboratory work from the Instituto de Biología, Instituto de Geología, Instituto de Astronomía, the Centro de Ciencias Genómicas and the Facultad de Química. Projects have involved specimen curation with the Colección Nacional de Paleontología, paleobotanical studies linked to the Jardín Botánico de la UNAM, isotopic analyses in collaboration with the Instituto de Geofísica and outreach research with the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Partnerships for preservation have included the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, the Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad, the World Monuments Fund and academic networks such as the Red de Museos Universitarios. Peer collaborations have connected researchers with the Smithsonian Institution, the Natural History Museum, London, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University and the Max Planck Society.
The museum is located on the Ciudad Universitaria campus near the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México central library and the Estadio Olímpico Universitario. Visitors access the site via Metro Ciudad Universitaria, buses serving Coyoacán and transport links to Puebla and Toluca. Hours, ticketing and current exhibitions are announced through the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México cultural channels and partnerships with the Secretaría de Cultura and local tourism offices of Mexico City. Special visits have been coordinated for delegations from the Embassy of the United States, Mexico City, the British Council and international delegations from the European Union Delegation to Mexico.
Category:Museums in Mexico City Category:Science museums in Mexico Category:Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México