Archaeological Museum of Mazatlán

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Yesterday, my husband and I took my father, who’s visiting, to MUSAM—the archaeological museum in Mazatlán. We weren’t sure what to expect, but we were excited to learn more about the area’s history. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted warmly by a friendly guard and then met Pedro, who truly made our visit unforgettable. Pedro was incredibly inviting and knowledgeable. He began explaining the artifacts in Spanish, but when he noticed my husband spoke English, he effortlessly switched languages. His detailed explanations brought each piece to life, and his passion for Mazatlán’s rich history was contagious. Honestly, I could have listened to his stories for hours! It was such a treat to receive that kind of personal attention and insight. We left feeling more connected to the region and will definitely be back again. Highly recommend a visit!

I visited city centre with my friends and am very glad to have stopped at the Archeological Museum of Mazatlán. Located near the shore on a picturesque street, it is convenient to get to and near other tourist hubs. We were promptly greeted by Pedro, whose brilliant service deserves a special shoutout. Pedro provided us with a brief background to and tour of the museum, all in excellent English. We then toured the rooms independently, which included Spanish and English descriptions of all the artifacts. Everything was very fascinating, accessible, and descriptive, making for a wonderful visit. Amenities included toilets and air conditioning, convenient for us Canadian tourists who aren’t used to the spring heat. Pricing was beyond reasonable – 75 pesos per ticket (~$5.25 CAD). I highly recommend visiting this unique museum if you have a chance! Thank you :)

Before I got inside I was reading the placard on the wall and I was almost in tears. “Everything that cannot be recovered with money, such as the feelings linked to their homeland, the corners of memories, the tree where they met in the evenings, etc., hence the phrase of a resident displaced by the Picachos Dam, "They say they are going to pay for my house, but who is going to pay for my affections?" Affection is the attachment to that place where he was born and raised, where the umbilical cord is buried, it is part of his stories, of the place where he lived with friends, of the palm tree where he a met his first girlfriend, of the tamarind tree that was the space of coexistence, a silent witness to the stories of many generations; of the streets where he played, finally of that space that was his "place", to which he was attached, the place of identity.” I live in British Columbia, Canada. In a town in the NE of the province, right beside the just completed ‘Site C’ hydro dam. They just filled the 80 kilometer long reservoir last fall. Thus finalizing the destruction of the valley where I grew up. It was the geographical feature that defined my area of BC. I haven’t been able to actually go see the filled reservoir yet, I don’t know how I will react. I feel for these people, I have just experienced much of what they went through. I was lucky, my house was never in an area to be flooded but the once fertile valley defined who I am. A very interesting display, it highlights the pre Spanish lives led by the local Sinoloan peoples. This history needs to be remembered and taught to the local people. Well done!

The museum has some incredible displays of early life in the area. It’s inexpensive and doesn’t take long to wander through all the exhibits. Our favourite part was the very knowledgable and passionate young man who greeted us at the door, told us that if we just needed a cool place to spend some time, we are welcome to stand in the main gallery. Even without paying to see the rest. He explained the museum to us, and obviously was passionate about the history and quality of the exhibits. I am leaving this Google review just because he said it could help their museum out. I wish I’d caught his name.

I hate to call this museum small, I believe compact serves so much better. The museum is focused on the history of the native Sinaloan people and their ancient traditions and way of life. My understanding is that they have a rotating exhibit in the main room, which when we were there was focused on the marshes and salt farming of the people, with the exhibit featuring images taken and/or selected by the archaeologist who created this particular exhibit. It was fascinating to learn about the people from that perspective, and I felt that the museum did a great job of focusing on the core features of that culture and making use of the space provided. The host was incredibly helpful in expanding on details we didn't quite understand. In addition, the majority of the exhibits feature written descriptions in both Spanish and English, which was very helpful for my small Spanish vocabulary. I absolutely recommend that anyone visiting with an interest in the ancient history and archaeology of this culture visit this museum. P.S. Apologies if I misremembered some of the finer details 😁

Cool little museum, the person there was passionate about Mexican and Sinaloas history, Exhibits were interesting, only potential small improvement, is there were some random objects in the exhibit rooms, nevertheless it was a good experience, I would recommend.

Entering the air-conditioned building was a great relief from the daytime heat, but the museum had much more to offer than cool air. I had a lovely time learning about the history of Mexico, from ancient symbols of wealth to sacrificial rituals to funerary traditions. Pedro gave us an interesting tour and was very welcoming overall. If you’re in or near Mazatlán, do pay this museum a visit!

As others have noted, this is a small museum, but interesting. We went on Sunday and had the place pretty much to ourselves, so we have lots of time to read the notes with the displays.