The National Museum of Mexican Art opened in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on March 27, 1987. It grew from the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, formed in 1982 by Carlos Tortolero and Mexican-American teachers, and occupied a Chicago Park District building in Harrison Park after a 1986 agreement. The opening created a permanent museum space for Mexican, Mexican American, and Chicano art at a time when Latino cultural institutions had limited representation in the U.S. museum field. The institution later adopted its current name in 2006 and is described as the only Latino museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, as well as the largest Latino cultural institution in the United States.
It anchored Mexican and Chicano art within a major U.S. museum framework while remaining rooted in Chicago's Pilsen community.