Bringing culture to poverty: Mexico City’s Yancuic Museum

Mexico City is 1 of the cities successful the satellite with the largest fig of museums. There are astatine slightest 186 museums crossed the city, with 95 located successful the Cuauhtémoc territory alone, according to the Mexican government’s Cultural Information System. However, the concern is rather antithetic successful different districts, specified arsenic Iztapalapa. 

Iztapalapa is location to astatine slightest one-fifth of Mexico City’s population. That makes it the 2nd astir populous district, with astir 2 cardinal inhabitants arsenic of 2020. Yet, it suffers from issues related to poverty, inequality and insecurity, arsenic good arsenic a chronic deficiency of basal services. Therefore, the comparatively caller Yancuic Museum, built successful 2015, represents advancement by the metropolis government. Both successful presumption of taste offerings and societal interaction successful an country that has agelong been characterized by debased nationalist investment.

The architectural plan for Yancuic Museum successful Mexico City is peculiarly luminous astatine night. (SPRB Arquitectos)

Admission is escaped astatine the museum, whose sanction is derived from Nahuatl and means “new.” It’s portion of Mexico City’s “Let’s Build a City” authorities program, 1 of the aims of which is to diversify the capital’s taste offerings. 

Iztapalapa, it should beryllium noted, boasts a affluent taste and humanities heritage. Founded by the Culhuas successful 670 AD betwixt the bluish foothills of Cerro de la Estrella and the shores of Lake Texcoco, it is besides the tract of the celebrated New Fire ceremonial (Huizachtecatl). This Mexica ritual marks the extremity of a 52-year rhythm and the commencement of another, symbolizing the renewal and continuity of life.

What makes the Yancuic Museum truthful special?

Opened successful 2024, the Yancuic Museum features a distinctive aesthetic that tin beryllium appreciated from each angle. Its façade resembles a ample portion of unfolded origami, characterized by large unfastened windows that integrate indoor and outdoor spaces. The depository appears to expand, creating an enchanting atmosphere, peculiarly astatine night, acknowledgment to its luminous design.

Yancuic is dedicated to biology attraction and Nahua cosmogony. Thus, determination is simply a wide assortment of outdoor spaces. The full crushed level is simply a nationalist space, where, according to the museum, “A plaza extends into the museum, truthful entree is done a diffuse boundary: A wood of partition columns that pb from the nationalist lobby into the interior of the building.”

Additionally, the accumulation areas are interconnected by double-height spaces, providing sweeping views of Cerro de la Estrella, Cerro de la Mina and Volcán Tetlalmanche (commonly known arsenic Cerro de Guadalupe). Visitors tin besides admit the immense territory inhabited by astir 2 cardinal radical successful the municipality. The depository showcases 4 accumulation halls designed to rise consciousness astir clime change, focusing connected worldview, dialog and action, ecosystems and biodiversity, and situation and resilience, respectively.

There is besides a bookstore tally by the Fondo de Cultura Económica (FCE). Named Julieta Fierro, aft the Mexican scientist, it offers astir 20,000 titles crossed assorted subjects.

Awards and achievements

The angular lines of Yancuic basal retired against the buildings of Iztapalapa. (SPRB Architectos)

The Yancuic Museum covers an country of 20,000 quadrate meters and consists of 5 floors, accommodating up to 5,000 visitors per day. According to the Secretary of Culture of Mexico City, it has welcomed implicit 214,000 visitors since February 2025.

This task stands retired not lone for its societal interaction but besides for its architectural and aesthetic qualities. It gained archetypal designation erstwhile architects Carlos Rodríguez Bernal, Laura Sánchez Penichet, Mara Gabriela Partida Muñoz and Héctor Mendoza Ramírez, on with Boris Bezan, presented it astatine the 2015 National Architecture Competition. It won archetypal place.

The depository besides received the Gold Medal astatine the 18th National Biennial of Mexican Architecture successful 2024. This is organized by the Federation of Architects’ Associations of the Mexican Republic. It’s 1 of the astir prestigious architecture awards successful Mexico.

Set against an endless oversea of concrete, the Yancuic Museum stands arsenic an oasis. Visitors are welcomed with 4 tremendous sculptures of the white-tailed deer, Mexican wolf, jaguar and axolotl. These are made from recycled materials by ‘El Volador’, a corporate of artists, designers and builders based successful Iztapalapa. Yancuic is, definitely, an architectural gem that enhances the taste value of this humanities but relegated country of Mexico City.

Ana Paula de la Torre is simply a Mexican writer and contributor for Milenio, Animal Político, Vice, Newsweek en Español, Televisa and Mexico News Daily.