MEXICO CITY.- A remarkable exhibition has opened at the National Museum of Anthropology (MNA) to celebrate a pivotal moment in Mexico's history: the 200th anniversary of its very first national museum. The show, titled "200 Years of the National Museum of Mexico," tells the incredible story of a nation's journey to preserve its own past.

The story begins in the early 19th century with an unlikely hero, Diego de la Rosa y Landa, the city's chief plumber. He had the foresight to save 18 archaeological pieces recovered from under the streets of Mexico City. These humble artifacts would become the foundational collection of the National Museum of Mexico (MNM), an institution established by presidential decree on March 10, 1825.

Antonio Saborit García-Peña, the MNA's director, explained that the exhibition, which is free to the public, is an invitation to reflect on the immense challenges faced by the museum's first administrators. "Its function was to protect what was beginning to be recognized as essential to our national culture," he said.

The show, which will run until September 28, 2025, features 60 objects that trace the museum’s evolution. Visitors will see everything from historical documents and old newspaper clippings to engravings, photographs, and drawings. The exhibition also includes a selection of the original archaeological and ethnographic pieces that started it all, drawn from the MNA's vast collection of over 150,000 items.

According to Saborit García-Peña, the MNM was born from a pressing need to protect national archaeological heritage from constant plundering and loss. This commitment to preservation was so strong that customs regulations were issued in parallel with the museum's creation to prohibit the export of archaeological materials.

With the help of Lucas Alamán, the Secretary of Interior and Foreign Relations at the time, the MNM found its first home in a classroom at the Royal and Pontifical University. Later, it moved to the old Casa de Moneda (Mint), a building that today houses the National Museum of World Cultures.

The MNM's collection was eventually divided into four main sections: Antiquities, History, Products of Industry, and Natural History. This groundbreaking structure ultimately laid the groundwork for many of the museums we know today, including the national museums of Anthropology, History, and the Viceroyalty.

Saborit García-Peña emphasized that in those early years, museums in both Europe and the Americas lacked the protocols and regulations we have now. This makes the story of the MNM not just a piece of Mexican history, but a valuable lesson in the very origins of modern museology.

The exhibition is on display in the Media Luna of the MNA's lobby, offering a powerful look back at the institution that sowed the seeds for Mexico's rich and vibrant museum system.