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Amazing Mexican Mask Museum in Zacatecas

July 6th, 2009 Posted in Cheap Latin America Travel, Destination reports, Family travel

Want to see 3,000 Mexican masks in one place? Head to the Museo Rafael Coronel in Zacatecas.

I spent a few days traveling around the colonial center of Mexico last week, on assignment to review some hotels in Aguascalientes and Zacatecas. The former has a great Museo de los Muertos (Museum of the Dead) and the latter has one of the most amazing museums I’ve ever seen, with some 3,000 masks from all over Mexico housed in a restored section of a 16th-century crumbling building that was a grand hacienda and convent. For less than two bucks you get to tour it all and since this city is off the radar of most tourists, I doubt it’s ever very crowded. When I visited I got a private tour: a guy was going ahead of me turning on all the lights.

I don’t usually shoot a lot of photos in museums, but I went nuts in this one. The masks are from one guy’s private collection, which blows my mind since what’s on display is only 30% of the whole amount he bequeathed to the museum. The others are in storage. All of them are grouped thematically, from a whole wall of devils to a whole wall of gringos with big noses. Cheetahs, kings, crocodiles, and monsters. Kick back with a cup of coffee and check out the slideshow below.

  1. 6 Responses to “Amazing Mexican Mask Museum in Zacatecas”

  2. By Steve on Jul 7, 2009

    Hey Tim –

    Enjoying all the articles on Mexico. Wanted to ask for your advice on something: I have approximately July 17th – 27th to travel, so about 10 days total…and I’d love to go somewhere that would be both enriching and have hot women – you see, I’m trying to get over someone special :) . So I was thinking about heading back to central Argentina (but that’s a ways for just 10 days), or about guadalajara, panama, costa rica…any suggestions on one of these, or perhaps an entirely different place for this amount of time?

    Thanks as always!

    Steve

  3. By tim on Jul 8, 2009

    I have been married too long to help with that I am afraid. A lot of people have told me that Argentines are the most beautiful people in the world. But all the people who told me that were Argentine…

  4. By Steve on Jul 9, 2009

    haha – understood, tim. yeah i am going to argentina, it’ll be my 3rd trip there – but much shorter this time. still, there’s no elixir for mental/emotional distress quite like travelling latin america…i metaphorically ran into a brick wall last week and now i have something to look forward to! never would have gone to argentina the first time if i hadn’t read your book – so a sincere ‘thank you’, tim.

    steve

  5. By Steve on Jul 11, 2009

    actually tim i am asking for you advice once more: you’ve always got a level head with these things…..

    swine flu in argentina. all over the news. a friend of mine in bs as warned me that things are crazy there, people are kinda panicking. should i cancel my trip?

  6. By tim on Jul 14, 2009

    Have you forgotten about the panic here when it started? Where are you going to go instead—your bedroom?

  7. By Samuel Peterson on Jul 16, 2009

    The masks are very amazing some of those are very scary but very nice work. I like your post very much, thanks for sharing with all of us.

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