Landmark 16 km west of Teotihuacán
The mammoth museum at the Felipe Ángeles airport, built around fossils dug up during its construction; free with ID.
When the Felipe Ángeles International Airport was built on the former Santa Lucía air base, north of Mexico City, the digging turned up something nobody expected on that scale: the bones of hundreds of mammoths, along with other Ice Age animals, preserved in the sediments of the old lakes that once covered the valley. INAH archaeologists and paleontologists worked alongside the construction crews, and the best of the finds went into a museum that opened with the airport in 2022.
The Museo Paleontológico de Santa Lucía is called Quinametzin, a Nahuatl word for the giants of ancient legend, and it lays out the story in several halls and a themed garden: the mammoths that roamed the Americas, the wider wildlife of the Valley of Mexico, the arrival of the first humans and the fossils themselves, including mammoth skeletons. It is especially good with children, and it pairs well with the Tepexpan story nearby, where early human remains were found near mammoth bones.
Entry has been free; since the museum sits on a military base, you need official ID to get in. Hours have usually been longer on weekends than on weekdays, and it is closed on Mondays, but check before you go.
What to see and do
See the mammoth skeletons recovered during the airport's construction.
Walk through the halls on Ice Age wildlife and the first people of the Valley of Mexico.
Explore the themed garden outside.
Bring official ID; you will need it at the entrance.
Getting there
The museum is at the Felipe Ángeles airport complex in Santa Lucía, about 25 km west of Teotihuacan, roughly 35 minutes by car by way of Tecámac and the Mexico–Pachuca highway (Highway 85). Follow the airport signs and then the signs for the museum. On public transport, the Mexibús Line 1 reaches the area; ask locally for the last stretch.
16 km west of Teotihuacán
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Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Weather mild
Museo Paleontológico de Santa Lucía Quinametzin shares the climate of Teotihuacán, 16 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec.
Make Teotihuacán your base
Museo Paleontológico de Santa Lucía Quinametzin is an easy trip from Teotihuacán, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
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