Admission is Free | Open Wed–Sun
The collections from the Western Hemisphere cover broad spans of time and space. The museum maintains the largest representation of Los Angeles history focused on Gabrielino/Tongva and Chumash material culture in addition to Native American communities across the United States. The best representations of arts of the ancient Americas are from West Mexico, the Valley of Mexico, and Peru (with special strengths in the art of the Moche). Many of these objects come from the looting of archaeological sites, though there are major collections of materials from officially sanctioned excavations in North America. Notable holdings of modern/contemporary-era arts (post-1900) include collections from the Warao and Yecuana peoples of Venezuela; Guatemalan and Mexican regional dress, festival masks, and religious objects; Wixarika (Huichol) yarn painting. There are significant collections from African diasporic communities in the Caribbean, especially Haitian sacred arts (Vodou), and Afro-Surinamese textiles and woodcarving.
