Highlights from Mexico's National Museum of Anthropology

Located in Chapultepec Park, the National Museum of Anthropology is the largest and most visited museum in Mexico; a very helpful museum guide book in English can be purchased and best to not visit on Sundays when admission for locals is free making for crowded conditions

This huge Stone of the Sun from the early 1500s highlights the sun's role in Aztec belief and is perhaps the most famous work of Mexica sculpture; it is 12 feet in diameter, 39 inches thick and weighs 54,000 lbs and was found buried at Mexico City's Zocolo

This 8+ ft tall statue of Coatlicue, mother of the deities, is one of the most famous surviving Aztec sculptures; originally displayed in Tenochtitlan, the statue was buried after the 1521 Spanish conquest and excavated 270 years later in Mexico City's Zocolo

The Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis of 1552 is the first illustrated and descriptive scientific text of Nahua medicine and botany produced in the Americas; it is considered a monumental text in the history of botany and the history of medicine

This statue is generally identified as the Great Goddess of Teotihuacan and stood near the base of the Pyramid of the Moon; dating from 300-800 AD, she is thought to have been a goddess of the underworld, darkness, water and possibly even creation itself

This 1811 banner of Miguel Hidalgo, carried by the rebel forces even after his death by execution, was one of the most significant symbols of Mexican patriotism in their war of independence from Spain

This type of Maya sculpture made between 900 and 1250 AD is called chacmool and possibly was made to honor slain warriors; this is the original chacmool excavated in 1875 from the Temple of the Eagles and Jaguars at Chichen Itza

This vast concrete umbrella supported by a single pillar is one of the most distinguishing features of the 1964 museum; surrounding this courtyard are 23 rooms with almost 860,000 square feet of exhibit space (good luck finding the most important items!)

This most famous representation of Xochipilli or the 'Prince of Flowers' dates from roughly 1450; he was the Mesoamerican god of summer, flowers, pleasure, love, dancing, painting, feasting, creativity and souls and was especially revered at Xochimilco

This painted ceramic container comes from Teotihuacan and dates from 450 to 700AD; I was surprised that this supposedly world-class museum had item descriptions only in Spanish but I read where there's an English audioguide but I failed to see one offered

This Maya cross stela is from the ossuary at Chichen Itza and dates from 1000 to 1250AD; the museum had many reproductions of temples, crypts and other features of indigenous culture but I'd rather see the real thing

This Maya jar with lid dates from 250 to 600 AD and was uncovered in a tomb at Calakmul which, deep in the Yucatan jungle, was one of the most powerful Maya cities with 50,000+ people and 6750 identified structures