Museo de Antropología de Xalapa

The Museo de Antropologia de Xalapa, commonly known as MAX, is an anthropological museum in Xalapa, the capital of the state of Veracruz in eastern Mexico. Administered by the Universidad Veracruzana, it is widely considered the second most important anthropology museum in Mexico, following the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. The institution is renowned for its extensive collection of artifacts from Mesoamerican Gulf Coast cultures, most notably the Olmec, Totonac, and Huastec peoples. Its holdings include objects dating back to the Early Pre-Classic Period, from 1300 BC to 900 BC.

The museum originated in the 1930s as the Anthropological Museum of the Department of Education. In 1943, an initiative by Governor Jorge Cerda advanced the project, leading to the creation of the Universidad Veracruzana in 1945. By 1947, the collection was placed in a building on the street, and in 1951 the institution was renamed the Veracruzano Museum of Anthropology. A 1957 agreement between the university and the National Institute of Anthropology and History defined the museum's mission. By 1959, the collection numbered around 10,000 pieces, prompting the inauguration of a new building at the former San Roque mill site on November 20, 1960. A second circular building was added in 1966 to house ethnographic material. In 1982, the archaeological and ethnographic entities separated and acquired independent leadership. Governor Agustin Acosta Lagunes subsequently requested the demolition of the old buildings, commissioning a new facility to better accommodate the collections. The current museum was completed and inaugurated in 1986.

The museum focuses on the pre-Columbian history of Veracruz, with particular emphasis on the Olmec, Totonac, and Huastec cultures, alongside other peoples of the Gulf of Mexico. It houses the second largest collection of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican art in the world. The total collection comprises approximately 25,000 pieces, of which around 2,500 are on display across the permanent galleries. These are organized into dedicated rooms for the Olmec, Totonac, and Huastec cultures, supplemented by a broad exhibition on the ethnography of the contemporary indigenous peoples of Veracruz.

The museum's most famous holdings are its Olmec colossal basalt heads, with sources documenting either five or seven examples from the archaeological site of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan. Other signature Olmec works include Monument Number 1 of San Lorenzo and the Lord of Las Limas. The Totonac collection is represented by a notable group of smiling faces and a collection of sculptures of Cihuateteo from the El Zapotal archaeological site, as well as objects from the yoke-axe-palm complex. Huastec highlights include the Adolescent of Tamuin and the Lord of Ozuluama. The museum also preserves Stela Number 1 from La Mojarra, various codices, and sculptures of deities such as Tlaloc and Mictlantecuhtli.

The museum is situated in a park of approximately 40,000 square meters in the west of Xalapa, surrounded by lush, evergreen gardens. The current building was designed by the American architectural firm Edward Durell Stone, with architect Paul Balev as the vice president leading the design, alongside Mexican architect Sergio Mejia Ontiveros. The construction took 15 months. The exhibition space covers more than 9,000 square meters and features an entrance hall, a gallery with 18 levels, six rooms, and three covered patios. The elongated shape and enfilade layout of the permanent collection pay homage to the geography of Veracruz, while the square windows evoke the niches characteristic of the architecture at El Tajin. The facility also includes an auditorium seating 329 people, temporary exhibition spaces, a mezzanine, a cafeteria, and a bookshop. The museography was handled by Iker Larrauri and Fernando Gamboa. The site received a landscape architecture award from the Mexican Association of Landscape Architects in 2000.

The museum is located in Xalapa, which sits at an elevation of approximately 1,450 meters. The city is situated about 50 kilometers by air from the Gulf of Mexico coast and roughly 100 kilometers by road from the port city of Veracruz. The institution is owned and operated by the Universidad Veracruzana. It offers educational services designed to improve public knowledge at all levels, with a special focus on children, youth, and families. These programs include guided tours for school groups that provide instructional materials and encourage creative skills and reflection. The museum's official website is hosted by the university.