The Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Jorge A. Ibarra, the Ministry of Culture’s natural history museum in the zona 13 museum complex, opens Monday to Friday 9:00-17:30, Saturday 10:00-13:00 and Sunday 12:00-14:00, according to the ministry’s undated SIC directory. The ministry publishes no current entry fee; the last published figures, from September 2020, were Q10 for foreigners and Q2 for Guatemalans.
Founded on 4 July 1950, it is one of the country’s oldest museums. Its first home was the tea room at La Aurora park, and its present building opened on 19 September 1986. On 6 November 2026 it opened for the Noche de los Museos, and the ministry says restoration design work is expected to start next year.
In short: Zona 13, in the Complejo de Museos beside MUNAE. Weekdays 9:00-17:30 and short weekend openings per the ministry’s directory, but call ahead. No current fee published by the ministry. Rooms run from the Big Bang and Guatemala’s volcanoes to live reptiles and a butterfly house. Not to be confused with USAC’s natural history museum in zona 10.
Quick summary
| Item | Detail | Who publishes it (read 9 Nov 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday-Friday | 9:00-17:30 | Ministry of Culture SIC directory, undated |
| Saturday | 10:00-13:00 | SIC directory, undated |
| Sunday | 12:00-14:00 | SIC directory, undated |
| Hours, older article | Mon-Fri 9:00-16:00; Sat-Sun 9:00-12:00 | Guatemala.com, updated September 2020 |
| Fee | Not published by the ministry | mcd.gob.gt museum page; SIC listing |
| Fee, older article | Guatemalans Q2 · foreigners Q10 · school groups free · Guatemalans free on Sundays | Guatemala.com, updated September 2020 |
| Location | Complejo de Museos, zona 13 | Ministry of Culture news, 7 Nov 2026 |
| Street address | 6a. calle 7-30, zona 13 (Guatemala.com) · 7a Avenida, zona 13 (SIC) | Two sources, two addresses |
| Run by | Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes | mcd.gob.gt |
Hours and price: what the ministry and Guatemala.com list
The Ministry of Culture’s own page for the museum describes its history and rooms but gives no opening hours and no fee. The only hours in a ministry source are in its SIC directory, which carries no date: weekdays 9:00 to 17:30, Saturday 10:00 to 13:00, Sunday 12:00 to 14:00.
Neither the Ministry of Culture’s museum page nor its SIC directory entry gives a fee (both read 9 November 2026). Guatemala.com’s Aprende section does, in an article first published in November 2016 and last updated in September 2020. It lists Q2.00 for nationals and Q10.00 for foreigners, free entry for school groups, and free entry for Guatemalans on Sundays. Its hours differ from the directory’s: Monday to Friday 9:00 to 16:00, and Saturday and Sunday 9:00 to 12:00. Six years on, treat both the price and the hours as a starting point, not a guarantee.
Is it open, and what is planned
The Ministry of Culture reported on 7 November 2026 that the Museo de Historia Natural Jorge Ibarra and the neighbouring MUNAE opened for the Noche de los Museos on 6 November. At that event, vice minister for cultural and natural heritage Rossina Cazali said the ministry is renewing MUNAE’s museography and expects to begin designing the natural history museum’s restoration next year. The 7 November report gives no closure date or timetable for the works. A Ministry of Culture report dated 16 September 2026 describes a talk at the museum on Guatemala’s endemic fauna given by its curator, Manuel Acevedo, which covered among other groups the country’s endemic salamanders.
The rooms
The ministry’s museum page lists the permanent exhibitions:
| Room or area | Theme, per the ministry |
|---|---|
| Origen del Universo (Big Bang) | The solar system; Earth as a tiny part of the universe |
| Origen y Evolución de la Vida | Water and the evolution of fauna and flora through the eras |
| Continents and earthquakes | Tectonic plates in constant movement |
| Los Volcanes | Guatemala as a land of volcanoes; what a volcano is |
| Rocas y Minerales | Rocks and minerals of Guatemala’s soil and subsoil |
| Paleontología | Fossils; the page notes Guatemala had no dinosaurs |
| Reptiles and amphibians | Live specimens |
| Salón de las Aves | Migratory and resident birds, and the national bird |
| Animales Nocturnos | Animals active at night |
| Salón de Mamíferos | Mammals and their distribution |
| Mariposario | Butterfly metamorphosis, live |
| Pato poc | An endemic Guatemalan duck, now extinct, shown as an example of misused natural resources |
| Jardín de Helechos | A fern garden on tropical forests under threat |
The same page lists a botanical garden area, a tree hall, invertebrates, ecosystems, life zones and protected areas, the museum’s history, and a temporary exhibition space. The SIC directory adds that the museum runs talks, conferences and workshops, and that its collections include mounted butterflies, beetles and other insects, herbaria, birds and mammals.
History
Professor Jorge A. Ibarra founded the museum on 4 July 1950 as the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural and directed it until 1996. Ministerial Agreement 10-88 of 14 March 1988 added his name. Its first home was the tea room in the La Aurora park; the present building opened on 19 September 1986 (Ministry of Culture museum page and SIC directory).
Which natural history museum?
Search results mix up two institutions. This page covers the Ministry of Culture’s museum in zona 13. The University of San Carlos (USAC) runs its own natural history museum together with its botanical garden in zona 10, at Calle Mariscal Cruz 1-56, with different published hours.
Getting there and nearby
Guatemala.com places the museum in the zona 13 Complejo de Museos, five minutes from La Aurora international airport. The same complex houses MUNAE, the national archaeology and ethnology museum, whose fees are in our Guatemala City museums guide. The La Aurora Zoo, where the museum began, is also in zona 13.
- With children: Guatemala with kids.
- Between flights: long layover in Guatemala City.
Sources
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (history, permanent exhibitions), read 9 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, SIC listing Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Jorge A. Ibarra (hours, address, services), undated, read 9 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes news, 7 November 2026, Complejo de Museos de la zona 13 abrió sus puertas a una noche de cultura y descubrimientos, read 9 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes news, 16 September 2026, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural destaca la riqueza de la fauna endémica de Guatemala, read 9 November 2026.
- Guatemala.com (Aprende), Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, published November 2016, updated September 2020, read 9 November 2026. Secondary.
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, SIC listing Museo Nacional de Historia Natural USAC y Jardín Botánico (USAC museum address), undated, read 9 November 2026.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the hours of the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural in Guatemala City?
The Ministry of Culture’s SIC directory lists Monday to Friday 9:00 to 17:30, Saturday 10:00 to 13:00 and Sunday 12:00 to 14:00. The listing is undated and the ministry’s own museum page gives no hours, so call ahead. A Guatemala.com article last updated in September 2020 gave different hours.
How much does the natural history museum cost?
The Ministry of Culture publishes no fee for it on its museum page or in its SIC directory (checked 9 November 2026). The most recent published figures are Guatemala.com’s, from an article last updated in September 2020: Q2 for Guatemalans, Q10 for foreigners, free for school groups and free for Guatemalans on Sundays.
Where is the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Jorge A. Ibarra?
In the Complejo de Museos in zona 13, alongside the national archaeology museum (MUNAE), per the Ministry of Culture. Guatemala.com gives the address as 6a. calle 7-30, zona 13; the ministry’s directory gives 7a Avenida, zona 13.
Is the natural history museum open in 2026?
It opened its doors for the Noche de los Museos on 6 November 2026, the Ministry of Culture reported, and the ministry’s vice minister for heritage said design work for restoring the museum is expected to begin next year.
Which natural history museum is which in Guatemala City?
The Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Jorge A. Ibarra in zona 13 belongs to the Ministry of Culture. The University of San Carlos (USAC) runs a separate natural history museum with its botanical garden in zona 10, at Calle Mariscal Cruz 1-56.
