Museo Histórico de Atlacomulco — Local services in State of Mexico

I love this little museum. The space is small and the collection is interesting. Admission is free.

The day I visited the featured local artist in the main gallery was a talented 23-year-old from the nearby municipality of Temascalcingo. This display changes regularly and the space houses performances as well. Ask about upcoming events.

Highlights from my tour: Wooly Mammoth tusks found in Atlacomulco are on display in the open, not behind glass. Did you know the head of a Wooly Mammoth is the size and weight of a VW Beetle? People have inhabited Atlacomulco for over 10,000 years. Look closely at the tiny arrowheads--they aren't arrowheads at all; they are body jewelry (only worn by men). Big round rocks were used to flatten and compact the dirt floors of homes. The Mazahua people were peaceful and were eventually subjugated by the Nahua/Mexica/Aztecs. Mazahua means deer hunters and you can see representations of deer, though sadly deer no longer inhabit the area. Atlacomulco means the place between/among shallow wells (possibly springs). Check out the snail and spiral symbols carved into large rocks that were posted as signs to communicate the location of water. Corn is still planted the way the indigenous people have always planted it, 4 seeds per hole, just as shown in the pictures of the Florentine Codex drawn near the time of first European contact. Homemade pulque is still brewed from maguey heart slime using the same methods and the same/similar implements as pre-revolution times. Tell me if the maguey isn't the handsomest succulent you ever did see. The first church was built in Atlacomulco during the period of conquest, and it's creepy to see the hand drawn map that was sent to update the Spanish king. The document officially establishing Atlacomulco as a municipality was issued shortly after the revolution, but the revolution hadn't reached Atlacomulco yet so they still followed the old Spanish colonial procedure and subsequently the document was stamped with the seal of the newly formed Republic of Mexico. One of the first rules established for Atlacomulco was to not spit in the street. Haciendas were largely self sufficient and the tools on display were fabricated onsite at a local hacienda. The weapons are interesting to look at, but maybe are not as relevant to the history of Atlacomulco. They were purchased from elsewhere as examples. Atlacomulco has a very remote connection to war in that one important general or regiment stopped over in Atlacomulco at some point and ate up a lot of the locals' food or something like that. The weapons represent an important part of Mexican history that isn't as local and particular to Atlacomulco as the rest of the collection.

This museum is small and you could easily breeze through without appreciating each artifact. But don't! The collection is carefully curated and each artifact is special. When you visit the museum you can decide for yourself--What artifacts are most interesting to you? Did anything...

El museo tiene algunos años funcionando, creo que necesita más atención y más difusión. Fuimos recibidos con gran cariño por parte del encargado del museo quién nos externo su dominio sobre los temas y tradiciones correspondientes al municipio. Algunos de los habitantes de cualquier lugar llegamos a desconocer a profundidad nuestras raíces. Siempre será sorprendente recibir información ancestral.

El museo necesita aún más elementos de observación. Y talvez en las escuelas debería existir una clase sobre la cultura de...

El lugar es pequeño, sin embargo cuentan con diferentes exposiciones de antigüedades, es un buen lugar para pasar el rato o matar...