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    Entrance sign of the Museo del Meteorito in Progreso with a dinosaur on the roof, Yucatán

    Photo by eileenmak, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Mosasaur skeleton hanging over a pool inside the Museo del Meteorito, Yucatán

    Photo by TSolange, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Stone entrance wall with the name of the Museo del Meteorito and steps leading up, Yucatán

    Photo by TSolange, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Museo del Meteorito

    Landmark Progreso, Yucatán Municipality of Progreso Costa Esmeralda (Yucatán)

    A museum on Progreso's malecón about the Chicxulub asteroid impact and Earth's five mass extinctions, with fossils, projections and moving dinosaurs.

    From Mérida: 35 min by car (37 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    How to get to Museo del Meteorito

    • From Mérida: about 35 min by road (~37 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mérida (MID), 1 h 7 min by car to Sisal
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    About Museo del Meteorito

    The Museo del Meteorito, officially 'El origen de la nueva vida', is a state museum on the seafront boulevard of Progreso, about 35 km north of Mérida, dedicated to the asteroid that struck the Yucatán Peninsula about 66 million years ago. The impact left the Chicxulub crater, whose centre lies just a few kilometres east of here under Chicxulub Puerto, and is linked to the extinction of the dinosaurs. The museum opened on 9 August 2022, on International Dinosaur Day, and is run by the Patronato Cultur, the Yucatán state agency for cultural and tourist sites. It drew more than 120,000 visits in its first year.

    The building is easy to spot on the malecón: a giant dinosaur stands on its roof and animatronic dinosaurs can be seen from the street. Its design borrows from Maya architecture, with an open plaza, walkways and pools of water that lead visitors through the building, and in 2022 it was a finalist in the Dezeen awards for cultural buildings. Inside, eight rooms tell the story of the planet over some 14 billion years of cosmic history, from the formation of the Earth to the five great mass extinctions, with special attention to the Chicxulub impact.

    The displays mix real rocks and fossils, some said to be up to 4.5 billion years old, with screens that recreate the impact, video mapping, augmented reality and tablets on which children can design their own dinosaur. There are sound-and-motion figures of Tyrannosaurus, Spinosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Triceratops and others, a full-size Quetzalcoatlus replica and a mosasaur skeleton over a pool. Every 22 July the museum celebrates its anniversary with free entry and events, which bring long lines.

    How to get to Museo del Meteorito

    Drive from Mérida: 35 min, 37 km

    From Mérida, take Calle 60 north onto Federal Highway 261 to Progreso, about 35 km and 30 minutes, then head for the seafront: the museum is at Calle 19 No. 142 on the Boulevard Turístico Malecón, near its eastern end. Autoprogreso buses run from Mérida to Progreso every 10–15 minutes; from the Progreso terminal it is a walk of a few blocks to the malecón.

    Directions to Museo del Meteorito on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

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    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Museo del Meteorito: hours, prices and tips

    Hours
    Daily from 11:00; closing time has been reported as 18:00 to 19:00, so check before going. Wikivoyage / Posta · checked Oct 2026
    Entry
    About 350 pesos for foreign visitors, 250 for Mexican nationals and 100 for children and seniors with ID; Progreso residents enter free. Toilets cost 20 pesos. Posta · checked Oct 2026
    Best season
    On its anniversary, 22 July, the museum has offered free entry with special events; expect long lines that day and at Easter. Diario de Yucatán · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Museo del Meteorito: what to see and do

    Follow the eight rooms from the origin of the universe to the five mass extinctions.
    Watch the screens and video mapping that recreate the Chicxulub impact.
    See the animatronic dinosaurs, the Quetzalcoatlus replica and the mosasaur skeleton over the water.
    Look at the real meteorites, rocks and fossils on display.
    Let children design a dinosaur on the interactive tablets.
    Walk the Progreso malecón afterwards, or drive 8 km east to Chicxulub Puerto, over the centre of the crater.

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    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mérida (MID), about 1 h 7 min by road from Sisal, the base for Museo del Meteorito.

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    When to go to Museo del Meteorito warm

    Museo del Meteorito shares the climate of Sisal, 41 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.

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    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Sisal

    Old cannon before the yellow fort and lighthouse of Sisal, Yucatán warm
    Yucatán Sisal

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    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.