Maxwell Musuem of Anthropology – The University of New Mexico

I have a deep love of Anthropology and I also wiled away hours as a work study here, a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. If you want to understand Anthropology and the evolution of the human species, this is a great place. They also have another permanent exhibit on People of the Southwest, which is really informative also. They regularly have shows that come through for a shorter time and it’s a wonderful place to bring visitors who are interested in the Southwest and the Native Cultures.

As far as museums dedicated to anthropology, this is as good as it gets. It’s right up there with the anthro museum at UBC in Vancouver, Canada. The museum offers a wonderful opportunity to learn not only about archaeology, but also about human evolution.
Yes, it’s possible to go to a natural history museum and see some hairy models and get a general impression of human evolution. But the Maxwell Museum takes it a step further. They have exhibits on some things that we wouldn’t traditionally think about, like how over time, the shape of our skulls and muscles for chewing have grown or shrunk, indicating what types of foods we most likely ate tens of thousands of years ago. Other exhibits showed the evolution of our hands and feet, and explained bipedalism in great detail.
While small, the museum packs in a lot of information. The upstairs exhibits focus on regional Native American tribes and show how life was like hundreds of years ago, before the arrival of Europeans.
The museum is free, so the least you’d get is an appreciation for anthropology. Parking is also free with a permit they give you, so check out this gem of anthropology and of Albuquerque when you get a chance!

This place made such an impression on me when I was a kid. I went here in elementary school to discover a world both near and far and to view the way humans live through an anthropological telescope. I was nonetheless fascinated with the life of ancient humans. How they lived? What they did? I also was fascinated with what a university education meant– I imagined long hours painstakingly researching the sciences and the arts. This is not the field museum — it is the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology– this holds a special place in my memories.