MEXICO CITY.- The National Museum of World Cultures (MNCM) has opened a striking new window onto one of China’s most intriguing archaeological treasures. With the exhibition Western Xia Tombs: World Heritage, the museum invites visitors to explore the immense historical and cultural value of a funerary complex recently added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Unveiled on November 26, 2025, the exhibition is the result of an international collaboration between Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), the Embassy of China in Mexico, and the China Cultural Center. During the opening ceremony, INAH’s Technical Secretary José Luis Perea González highlighted the symbolic depth and architectural brilliance captured in each photograph. “We are standing before one of the most significant cultural expressions of China and of humanity,” he noted.

China’s Ambassador to Mexico, Chen Daojiang, echoed that sentiment, describing the tombs of the Western Xia as tangible evidence of centuries of cultural encounters along the Silk Road. Their design, he emphasized, speaks to the harmony and diversity that have shaped the Chinese people.

The exhibition gains added relevance following UNESCO’s official recognition of the site on July 11, 2025. MNCM Director Alejandra Gómez Colorado celebrated the timing, calling it “an opportunity to bring newly recognized world heritage directly to the Mexican public.” For Shi Yuewen, director of the China Cultural Center in Mexico, presenting the tombs in Mexico so soon after the UNESCO listing was a priority. “These mausoleums reflect the rise and fall of an empire. Sharing them now honors both their scale and their inclusive spirit,” he said.

Curated jointly by the MNCM and the Western Xia Tombs Museum, the show features 20 photographs accompanied by contextual panels. The images spotlight the grandeur of the necropolis: nine imperial mausoleums, 271 accompanying tombs, and an extensive architectural and hydraulic system covering more than 500 hectares. Among the highlights are images of guardian mythological beings—Kalavinka, Makara, and Chiwen—crafted from glazed ceramics, terracotta, and sandstone.

Founded by the Tangut people, the Western Xia dynasty flourished between 1038 and 1227 in northwestern China. Their tombs remain among the most expansive and best-preserved in the country. Archaeologists have recovered bricks, tiles, inscriptions, and metalwork that reveal extraordinary advances in construction, writing, and the decorative arts.

Western Xia Tombs: World Heritage is displayed on the façade of the museum’s former Hall of Monoliths and will remain open through March 2026. Visitors can view the exhibition from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Moneda 13, in Mexico City’s Historic Center.