National Museum of Anthropology

The National Museum of Anthropology is an essential destination for understanding global cultural diversity from the heart of Madrid. It was the first museum in Spain dedicated to this field, founded through the personal initiative of Segovian physician Pedro González Velasco and inaugurated in 1875 by King Alfonso XII as the Anatomical or Anthropological Museum.

Over time, the museum became a public institution. It originally operated under the Cabinet of Natural History (later the National Museum of Natural Sciences) and was eventually managed by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). Throughout its institutional evolution, it held various names—such as the Museum of Anthropology, Ethnography, and Prehistory, and later the National Museum of Ethnology—before establishing itself as a museum dedicated exclusively to cultural anthropology.

Dr. González Velasco’s original collection was expanded with items brought back by Spanish scientific expeditions in the late 19th century, as well as assets from the Museum of Natural Sciences. A highlight is the ethnographic collection from the 1887 Philippines Exhibition held in Retiro Park, considered the last great showcase of the Spanish Empire. Since the 1960s, the museum has been overseen by the Directorate General of Fine Arts, with its holdings continuing to grow through donations and acquisitions.

Today, its primary mission is to promote the values of cultural diversity among the world's peoples. The collections are organized by continent; within each section, cultural expressions are presented using a consistent functional framework, allowing for a structured and comparative understanding of different societies.