MODO: The Museum of the Object of the Object

The Material
Culture Museum

MODO, the Museum of the Object of the Object, (museo del objeto del objeto) is among the quirkiest of museums run by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The acronym MODO, of course can, in Spanish, mean “way” or “mode.” The Museum takes some of its inspiration from the obviously heavyweight National Museum of Anthropology, but applies some of the same thinking to contemporary society and culture.

Having opened in 2010, the museum dedicates itself to telling stories through the articles of daily life collected over some 200 years. The collection consists of some 140,000 of these objects. They include objects of cultural, aesthetic, and social movements. Items representing technological development and trends are there too. And changes in the ways of thinking and connecting with the outside world are also represented in the collections.

Objects are sorted into a vast number of general themes. This makes browsing a little simpler. The museum also hosts temporary curated exhibitions intended to draw from the permanent collection, and from other collections. Through sheer love and nostalgia, many of them are already stored in many of our own memories.

Even international visitors with no experience of Mexico will share in some if not all of the current museum exhibitions. Often enough, one can get true insight into the country and its thinking in precisely this way. Testimony to the life and culture of today’s Mexico is ultimately the museum’s premier calling.

The MODO Building

The museum building in Roma was build in 1906. In what was already a residential district by then, its considered one of the eight best preserved Art Nouveau buildings in Mexico City.

MODO is also an important part of the surrounding community. It’s a community that loves culture and is committed in turn to its city. High-impact exhibitions constitute an aesthetic and intellectual stimulus for all of Roma. Exhibitions then promote the strengthening of the social fabric. Knowledge and an appreciation of the graphic arts, communication , design and history, and a sense of social responsibility all contribute to a super fun visit.