Folk Art Museum

The Museo de Arte Popular (MAP) is a museum in Mexico City, Mexico, dedicated to promoting and preserving Mexican handcrafts and folk art. Located in the historic center of the city, it opened in February 2006 and has since served as a major reference institution for Mexican crafts, drawing both domestic and international visitors. The museum is particularly renowned as the sponsor of the annual Noche de Alebrijes (Night of the Alebrijes), a spectacular parade of monumental fantastical creatures that has become one of Mexico City's signature cultural events.

The museum's origins trace back to the1990s, when a group of five women, Cristina Stoupignan de Payán, María Teresa Pomar, María Esther Echeverría, Sol Rubín de la Borbolla, and Laura Osegura, conceived the idea of establishing a folk art museum in Mexico City. They met regularly at Pomar's home, where discussions over meals and tequila earned them the nickname "Las tequileras" from chronicler Ángeles González Gamio. In 1996, they formalized their efforts by creating Populart S.C., an association that developed the museological script and institutional framework for the future museum. The project drew on anthropological and sociological perspectives, with input from artists, artisans, and academics including Tonatiuh Gutiérrez, Alfonso Soto Soria, Juan Coronel Rivera, and Salvador Castillo. On November 17, 2005, the government of the Federal District signed a contract with Banco Interacciones, granting five million pesos and the building on Revillagigedo Street to establish the museum. The Museo de Arte Popular officially opened its doors on February 28, 2006, with support from the Mexico City government, CONACULTA, the Historic Center Trust, Populart, and the Association of Friends of the Museum of Folk Art.

The permanent collection comprises approximately 2,600 pieces gathered through the generosity of individual donors, with 1,000 works on display at any given time. Principal donors included Alfonso Romo of Grupo Savia, who contributed 1,400 pieces, and Carlota Mapeli, an Italian collector who donated 400 embroidered garments and textiles, many woven on backstrap looms. The collection is organized into five permanent thematic halls: "Las raíces del arte mexicano" (Roots of Mexican Art), "Las raíces del arte popular" (Roots of Popular Art), "Lo cotidiano" (Everyday Things), "Lo religioso" (Religious Items), and "Lo fantasmagórico" (Fantastic and Magical Things). Two additional halls are dedicated to "grand masters." The collection spans pre-Hispanic artifacts to contemporary works and encompasses all 32 federal entities of Mexico. Craft types represented include pottery, basketry, wood carving, precious metal working, glasswork, textiles, papier-mâché, piñatas, alebrijes, furniture, toys, and kitchen utensils. An "interpretation" room features pieces from every state, and the museum maintains a research center with a library and periodical archive. The collection fills three of the building's four levels, totaling 7,000 square meters.

While the museum's strength lies in its comprehensive survey of Mexican folk art across regions and media, certain holdings and programs stand out. The alebrije, fantastical creatures combining elements of real and imaginary animals, has become the museum's signature symbol. Since 2007, the museum has organized the annual Noche de los Alebrijes parade, for which monumental alebrijes are constructed on floats, with the tallest reaching four meters high by three meters wide. These works carry inventive names such as "La Mula de Seis," "Alebrijos," "AH1N1," and "La Gárgola de la Atlántida." The parade route runs from the Zócalo to the Angel of Independence monument, with participants competing for prizes. The museum also holds a significant collection of textiles, including Mapeli's backstrap-loom weavings, and works spanning from pre-Hispanic-era objects to contemporary reinterpretations of traditional forms.

The museum occupies a prominent Art Deco building at Revillagigedo 11 in the Cuauhtémoc borough of Mexico City's historic center. Constructed in 1927 by architect Vicente Mendiola, it originally served as a fire station and police barracks, replacing a former hospice and school on the site. The building features a central patio where fire trucks were parked, a corner tower with an emergency light, and stone reliefs with pre-Hispanic motifs decorating the facade. By the 1980s, the station had become inadequate for the growing city and was abandoned. The 1985 earthquake severely damaged the structure, contributing to its deterioration. In the 1990s, the city government decided to rescue the building for the craft collection. Architect Teodoro González de León directed the restoration beginning in 1998, updating the interior while preserving its Art Deco character. The inner courtyard was covered with a modern glass cupola. The building is widely considered the second most important Art Deco structure in Mexico City, after the Secretariat of Health offices in Chapultepec.

The Museo de Arte Popular is owned by the Government of Mexico City and operates as a public institution. Its website is http://www.map.df.gob.mx/. The museum offers regular weekend workshops for children aged six to twelve in crafts such as paper cutting, amate bark paper, and papier-mâché, with special seasonal workshops for Día de Muertos including Catrina figures, sugar skulls, and traditional candies. The non-profit gift shop sells crafts from more than 200 artisans across all Mexican states, with many items sourced from villages in Michoacán. The shop is designed to help artisans receive better prices for their products. Additional services include guided visits, a cafeteria, and plans for a documentation center. The museum's location in the historic center makes it accessible to visitors exploring central Mexico City.