Created as a space for reflection on the indigenous heritage of the Mexican nation, the National Anthropology Museum of Mexico (MNA) is considered one of the most important museums in Latin America and a global reference in the study of humanity due to its commitment to the dissemination, research, and preservation of cultural heritage, according to a statement from the Princess of Asturias Foundation.
The MNA is housed in a building constructed in the 1960s in Chapultepec Forest, which attracted international attention as a symbol of development, modernity, and avant-garde, highlighted the Foundation in the same note.
The museum features 30,000 square meters of exhibition space, making it the largest in Mexico, and welcomed over three million visitors in 2024.
The MNA’s collections encompass 250,000 pieces from across Mexico, with around eight thousand on display.
In 2017, the museum received, for protection and conservation, the “genetically intact” prehistoric female skeleton known as “Naia,” which is the “oldest directly dated” skeleton in the Americas. The skeleton was discovered in 2007, and scientists estimate it to be 13,000 years old.
The National Anthropology Museum of Mexico follows the international photography agency Magnum Photos, which received the Princess of Asturias Award for Concord in 2024 for its iconic and demanding photojournalism work spanning nearly eight decades.
The Princess of Asturias Awards recognize the scientific, technical, cultural, social, and humanitarian work performed by individuals or institutions internationally.
Eight awards are granted each year in various fields, with each prize consisting of a sculpture by Spanish painter and sculptor Joan Miró, 50,000 euros, a diploma, and an insignia, presented in a solemn ceremony with the Spanish Royal Family in Oviedo, northern Spain, in October.
This was the sixth prize this year, marking the 45th edition of these awards.
In recent weeks, the Princess of Asturias Foundation announced the awarding of the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports to American tennis player Serena Williams, for Communication and Humanities to German-Korean philosopher and essayist Byung-Chul Han, for Literature to Spanish writer Eduardo Mendoza, for Social Sciences to American sociologist and demographer Douglas Massey, and for the Arts to Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide.
The awards for International Cooperation and Scientific and Technical Research will be announced in the coming weeks.
