I love this museum. Great sculpture section. The building, itself, is beautiful. Lovely exterior…read moresetting, too. The permanent exhibit includes a history of Mexico. Bring the children! ( say age 8 and up) The temporary exhibits are always interesting. Right now they have a collection of art made by Japanese immigrants to Mexico. Staff is friendly. Place is immaculate. Wonderful bookstore that includes a lot of poetry as well as art related books, magazines. I wish the collection included more work by Mexican painters, but it's a relatively small place, and it does a great job! If I lived in Leon, I would visit regularly. If you are a tourist, must visit, and say "hi" to Max in the bookstore. He likes to speak English.

I had not been to Mexico in over 26 years. Yet, even when I was there I never knew about this…read morehistorical site. My parents and two older siblings were born just minutes away from Zona Arqueologica and yet there was never any discussion or mention about this national treasure that was right in our own backyard. The location is just outside the colorful town of Penjamo, Guanajuato. My cousin, Juan Carlos, mentioned to me that it was an important place to visit and he personally escorted me to Zona Arqueologica and was my thoughtful guide. The site is off a main highway yet you have to be very careful to look for the highway markers indicating which turn off the main road to take. The main highway is paved and the speed on these highways is excessive and dangerous. The road to Zona Arqueogica is not completely paved so you have to be VERY careful as you steer and turn off the main highway onto the partially paved dirt road leading to the site. After that it's just a straight drive forward and you arrive at the Zona Arqueologica. I was very impressed with Zona Arquelogica because the site is massive. There are no guides so it is a self-guided tour. When you arrive you pay an minimal entrance fee and enter the museum which is on an incline. You follow the ramps within the museum while observing the artifacts that were unearthed during the excavation. Each artifact is carefully presented in a display case on the wall with careful lighting. The descriptions of each artifact are on the wall and are entirely in Spanish. The museum is dimly lit yet the display cases are not. (Make sure your camera has flash). Once you exit the small museum you have the opportunity to take some photos on the patio among the agave plants and colorful walls before descending onto the warm green lawns that house the ancient ruins. It is a mammoth site with so much to see. It reminded me of a history book come to life and of the ruins in beautiful Cancun. TIP: The entrance fee is minimal but can only be paid in PESOS. Bring your walking shoes or hiking shoes because there is a great deal of walking among the green lawns. Depending on the time of year it can be warm and humid or wet and muddy. Photos are allowed and I saw not notice prohibiting flash photography. DINING: There is a small kitchen at the end of the outdoor lawns. It's practically hidden away! The food is delicious and freshly prepared and authentic by the local community. It is not a restaurant but more like a taco truck without the truck! Again, bring PESOS not dollars or credit cards. Have a great visit. Viva Mexico!

If you are interested in Diego Rivera's work, this museum is a must visit, especially since you…read moremade it to Guanajato! Easy to find, inexpensive to visit, it will take you about an hour and a half to discover more of Rivera's life and work. Open daily 10am-7pm, Sundays - 10am-3pm. Closed Mondays! Lots of personal objects on display, furniture and art created by the artist, in an intimate display since this was the place his was born. Very nice place, not crowded when we visited, so it made it for a pleasant time. I was very happy to be able to check it out and learn more about the great Mexican muralist artist!

Unlike Mexico City, Guanajuato isn't a museum town. Museums here are intimate, cheap to enter,…read morefeature no audio tour options, and at best you'll spend maybe 1 hour in any of them. In other words, great for those with short attention spans. Until he was 6 Diego Rivera lived in the house in which this museum is situated. Here you can see the rooms he once played in and view a collection of his works though nothing large-scale like the murals for which he really gained renown. In addition to Diego's works (which you're not permitted to photograph) in many art genres, there are a couple of other art installations. On this visit the most interesting of these was the very top floor which featured the work of Guanajuato artists whose work I'd have enjoyed a whole museum being filled with. There's a lot of stairs to navigate here but an elevator if you cannot do so. Definitely worth a stop if you're in Guanajuato and enjoy museums and/or Diego Rivera. And, if they know you speak only English they'll screen a 7-minute film, in English, telling you more about the space and the featured artists.

Great (morbid) little museum and great price! Had a modern art exhibit, some unique art pertaining…read moreto the Tzompantli. Pennywise was also there in another exhibit, can't escape him. Did we get lost? Yes, but there are friendly staff that will guide you.

I saw a lot of reviews on this museums on other websites and wanted to check this place out…read more Self-tour. Very interesting to see and it's nothing bad or anything. Very few "gory" art and news articles. You get to see how the people view death, statues related to death, artwork from a well-known artist, and ancient artifacts. A lot of history and culture throughout the museum. A lot of skulls and photos ok from the Day of Dead Festival celebration. Admission is inexpensive. There is one part I want to get up close on, but they closed that floor due to maintenance. I was able to only take the picture from the ground. Very different to see and also interesting facts and meanings behind each art.

This science center seems designed most not just for children but ones who have not visited any…read moreothers. While they have a variety of hands on exhibits, I was not particularly impressed.

Ok - normally I wouldn't give a place like this 5 stars, but luckily I was with colleagues that…read morespoke Spanish fluently and could give me the history to what I was looking at. This place is full of amazing pieces and literature, but it's all in Spanish so you will want to know some Spanish yourself or go with someone who could interpret for you!

'Take a tour, you'll like it!' If you're staying in Guanajuato, you'll be asked about a hundred…read moretimes. More so if you're wearing shorts with socks and sandals. First of all, don't wear socks and sandals when abroad and secondly be selective about your tour and your tour company. Ask questions and be specific. TIP 1: Ask what the tour covers especially concerning admission to sites. Most tours only take you there, but you're on your own to pay for the admission. TIP 2: Ask where are they going to take you and what if you don't want to go? TIP 3: Make sure to ask how is the tour? TIP 4: Your tour will not just be you and your partner but a group of people stuffed in a van. You'll have the couple from Mexico City with their kids, a couple on a romantic getaway that is constantly pawing at each other, the other usual suspects. Now with that being said, It was our last day in Guanajuato. We could have spent the day relaxing and gawking at all the US travelers wearing socks and sandals or we could have gone to the Mercado again but we decided to go on a tour to see San Miguel de Allende since all the influencers on YT and IG said,' It's a must-see!' - More about that in another review. Our tour company said that they would take us to Dolores Hidalgo to visit the tomb of Jose Alfredo Jimenez, the museum, an artisan shop, a restaurant, then San Miguel de Allende. For some perspective, Guanajuato to San Miguel is about 1 hour and 10 minutes by car and Uber was charging about $70 dollars one way. So, the tour option was the least expensive option. Our second stop was the museum of Jose Alfredo Jiminez. Who was Jose Alfredo Jiminez? He was most likely the most important, prolific, and popular composer of Ranchera music in Mexico during the 20th century. Do you remember Hector from Coco, Miguel's grandfather? Hector was loosely based on Jose Alfredo Jiminez, although there are many similarities. He lived every moment of life and perhaps lived multiple lifetimes before passing at 47 years old. The entrance fee, a couple of US dollars, to enter the museum which is really Jose Alfredo Jiminez's home is worth it. Your guide will start you with a large mosaic of Jose Alfredo with all the influences current and past. Then you're pretty much on your own. TIP 5: Take your time but be observant about the amount of time your tour allows. If you're on your own via rental car or Uber, take all the time The patio area and the other collections are super cool. I really liked the bust in the garden by the bathrooms and the music sheets. The kitchen was spectacular. I could almost see Jose's wife or perhaps a kitchen hand slapping masa to make tortillas and smell the pollo colorado bubbling in a pot. The gift shop is your last stop before leaving. There are so cool souvenirs but skip the magnets and the shot glasses. The museum of Jose Alfredo Jiminez was definitely the highlight of our tour and I wish we had a little more time to explore and ask questions. Maybe next time.

My husband and I visited the museum on a day trip to Dolores Hidalgo. We were both happy and…read moreimpressed with the vast amount of information on display here at the museum. Everything is clean, well organized, and gives a very informative look at the life of the famous singer. My personal favorite was the kitchen. It has impressive tile work. This museum is a must for any and all fans of his music, or Mariachi music.