All about Museo de Arte Contempoáneo in Mérida

The Museo de Arte Contempoáneo Ateneo de Yucatán (MACAY) - Fernando García Ponce is the only museum dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of modern and contemporary art throughout the Yucatán Peninsula.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is located in a prime location at Plaza Grande, next to the Catedral de Mérida.

The entrance to the museum is through the Pasaje de la Revolución. It is marked with a red sign that reads "Entrada al Museo". The 100m long Pasaje de la Revolución, shows changing sculpture exhibitions by Mexican and international artists.

The total area of MACAY is 3,500 square meters (almost 38,000 sq. feet). More than 70,000 people visit the museum every year.

The museum also has a museum store, a library specializing in art, a newspaper archive specializing in art and culture and a cafeteria.

Museum collections

The museum houses an extensive collection of works from the early 20th century to the present, distributed in two galleries.

There are three rooms where the work of the three well-known artists of Yucatecan visual arts - Fernando Castro Pacheco, Fernando García Ponce and Gabriel Ramírez Aznar - is permanently exhibited.

The huge museum offers also 15 temporary exhibition spaces, where the exhibitions change every three months.

In addition on the second floor there is the Expoforo - a forum that, due to its size, allows for large-scale exhibitions and can accommodate up to 500 people. On the first floor pieces from past exhibitions are still on display.

MACAY also hosts visiting exhibits from other parts of Mexico. Because the temporary exhibitions always run for only 3 months, with a circulation of around 2,000 pieces each and every time, it underlines the claim of MACAY, to promote the diffusion and knowledge of national and international modern and contemporary art.

This is especially true for children: MACAY offers special programs and workshops for children and also guided tours tailored for children.

The building

The building, which now houses the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Ateneo de Yucatán, has a rich historical past. It was built in the 17th century and originally served as a Franciscan monastery.

The Franciscans played an important role in the colonization of Yucatán and built many monasteries and churches in the region. They were one of the first Catholic orders to come to Yucatán in the course of Spanish colonization.

Over time, however, various conversions and renovations were carried out to use it for different purposes, including as a military building and a school, until it was converted into the museum it is today.

A few tips

MACAY also hosts various activities within its premises, including free painting and drawing workshops for children that take place on the last Saturday of each month.