Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Mexico San Cristóbal de las Casas Museo de la Medicina Maya (Mayan Medicine Museum)

Museo de la Medicina Maya (Mayan Medicine Museum)

The displays in this off-the-beaten-path museum highlight the holistic, indigenous methods of healing.

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico

Added By
linkogecko
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The museum’s colonial building.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
The museum’s own temazcal (sweat lodge).   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Display of an at-home birthing, with the father and a midwife present.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
The chapel display, mid-2025.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
A mixture of tobacco being wrapped up in corn husks like tamales.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Praying to a typical Maya cross with pine branches.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Inside.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
The museum’s garden.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Figures in prayer.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
  linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
A waist loom.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

San Cristóbal de las Casas’s Mayan Medicine Museum is housed in a colonial-style house in the city’s decidedly non-touristic Tlaxcala neighborhood. The institution consists of a large garden bursting with medicinal plants, an herbalist pharmacy, and indoor informational displays that illustrate the modern Highland Maya concept of healing and medicine.

The museum’s displays don’t seem to have been updated much since they won the Miguel Covarrubias National Museography Award in 1998. The current state of the figures and VHS videos exhibited seems dated and dimly lit, giving the museum an unintentionally creepy atmosphere.

Regardless of the outdated decor, the explanations provided still offer a comprehensive understanding of Maya medicine as a holistic approach involving herbs, faith healing, and other rituals. The museum’s admission fees are used in part to fund the on-site herbal pharmacy, used by locals who buy remedies here at a discounted price.

Related Tags

Mayan Museums Museums And Collections Medicine Plants

Know Before You Go

The museum is open from Monday to Friday from 9 to 5 p.m. Admission cost is MXN$25. It's located off the main touristic area of San Cris, additional precautions are recommended if visiting. Note that information is only available in Spanish.

 

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Yucatan Family Adventure: Meteors, Pyramids & Maya Legends

Explore Maya temples and learn about the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

linkogecko

Edited By

Beth1116

  • Beth1116

Published

August 5, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://issuu.com/portavozch/docs/portavoz_1_de_febrero_de_2017/9
  • http://www.turismochiapas.gob.mx/sectur/museo-de-la-medicina-maya
Museo de la Medicina Maya (Mayan Medicine Museum)
10 Cda. Salomón González Blanco
San Cristóbal de las Casas, 29215
Mexico
16.750041, -92.638714
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Casa Na Bolom

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico

miles away

Taller Leñateros (Woodlanders’ Workshop)

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico

miles away

Iglesia de San Juan

Chamula, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Cristóbal de las Casas

San Cristóbal de las Casas

Mexico

Places 3
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Casa Na Bolom

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico

miles away

Taller Leñateros (Woodlanders’ Workshop)

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico

miles away

Iglesia de San Juan

Chamula, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Cristóbal de las Casas

San Cristóbal de las Casas

Mexico

Places 3
Stories 1

Related Places

  • The museum entrance.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Museo Dolores Olmedo

    This extraordinary art museum is like a secret world on the edge of Mexico City.

  • Coca tea

    Cusco, Peru

    Museo de la Coca (Coca Museum)

    A fascinating little museum all about the rich history of Peru’s famous plant.

  • Oxford, Massachusetts

    Clara Barton Birthplace Museum

    This historic home and museum celebrates the life story of the female founder of the American Red Cross.

  • Charlottesville, Virginia

    Monticello's Vegetable Garden and Fruitery

    Thomas Jefferson's estate is home to hundreds of varieties of historic fruits and vegetables.

  • Amsterdam Tulip Museum.

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Amsterdam Tulip Museum

    Tucked in the back of a flower shop, its collection details the fascinating history of the Netherlands's iconic symbol.

  • Museo de Anatomopatología

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Museo de Anatomopatología (Museum of Pathological Anatomy)

    Located in a veterinary school, this macabre exhibit displays the effects of animal diseases.

  • Wilson Greatbatch’s tool box.

    Clarence, New York

    Greatbatch Barn

    This exhibit pays tribute to the “humble tinkerer” who invented the implantable pacemaker.

  • The museum exterior.

    Puebla, Mexico

    Amparo Museum

    This beautiful and unmissable little museum is full of fascinating artifacts from Mesoamerica's great civilizations.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.