The National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico).

Indigenous past in dispute

Abstract

The National Museum of Anthropology has been an emblematic space for the grounds of nationalism in Mexico, scenario of the varied interpretations of the pre-Hispanic indigenous past until it was linked with the Mexican identity. The museum showcases not only the pre-Columbian cultures but unsuccessfully seeks to relate them to the contemporary native. From a historical perspective and critique of the social construction of heritage, the article analyses the museum as a space for social confrontation and negotiation, as a resource to reproduce the identities and differences in a nation that seeks to be assumed as multicultural.