Museo del Ámbar — Attraction in Chiapas

MONEY SCAM in the ‘museum shop’. After spending half an hour in a small room they call a museum, we went downstairs to shop at their Amber shop. My mother bought earrings for 500 pesos, and gave a 1000 pesos bill to the girl who was the shop assistant. 5 minutes later, after waiting for the earrings to be packed, my mother (who doesn’t speak Spanish) was just given her nicely packed earrings, but no change. The girl pretended not to understand what my mother wanted from her!! Then I approached and since I spoke Spanish and I saw my mother giving the assistant the 1000 bill (which I stated in Spanish) the girl suddenly ‘understood’ that she ‘made a mistake’ and gave us 500 back. I have read about money scams like that in Mexico, but I did not expect it in a museum....the whole ‘museum’ is basically one small room with some amber in it, and it just felt like it was not a real museum (=place of learning and education) but just a business scheme to make you buy amber at their shop and ‘forget’ to give...

I can't spend hours and hours in museums, especially when I have my teenage children with me, so this one was perfect: only $50 pesos to enter, and it has one large room with plenty of amber on display (see photos in other reviews) and enough information to tell the story of amber, from it's composition and formation, to mining and uses. It's definitely not overwhelming, but informative enough to know a bit more about amber. The videos were not working when we went through. The shop was very extensive as well, and didn't seem expensive. They also provide a certificate of authenticity with each piece we purchased. I love that they are restoring ex convents and housing museums in them. This ex-convent is being restored by a civil association and depends on donations and the entry fees of the amber museum to continue their efforts. But it's also cool to see the one finished side and the unfinished...

Honestly this was the most disappointing thing I did in San Cris. I was excited to go and learn about amber and see fossilized bugs, but it was small - very small. It was mostly carved amber statues and jewely, which were very skillfully rendered, but the presentation was a bit mundane and, for all the empty space in the rest of the building, clumped together so even the most exquisite pieces were just one of dozens. The gift shop was overly expensive too. Only reason I didn't give this 1 star is because there were lot of info panels in Spanish and the girls at the front desk were very friendly and provided an English info booklet. Otherwise not...