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That the MPM endures as one of the finest institutions of its kind in the world is due in no small part to efforts of the Museum’s first Curator of Anthropology, Samuel A. Barrett (1879-1965). Barrett, born in Conway, Alaska, was a student of University of California anthropologist Alfred Kroeber and the first person to receive a PhD in anthropology west of the Mississippi (Lurie 1983: 48).

Cosmic Curiosities

“Thunderstorms are as much our friends as the sunshine.” 
- Criss Jami, Contemporary American Author

Sensible Space Cents

Colonial Origins

Lacandon Indian burning incense, Chiapas, Mexico


Lacandon Indian, Chiapas, Mexico

2026 PRESS RELEASES

• March 9, 2026 | Diorama-RAMA Greatest Hit Celebrates History, Artistry and Secrets of Museum’s World-Famous Dioramas
• February 10, 2026 | Cheers to the Years: 26th Annual Fan-