Housed in a building constructed in 1979 by the architects Teodoro González de León and Abraham Zabludovsky, the museum contains collections of pre-Columbianart once owned by artist Rufino Tamayo. One of the chief purposes of the museum was to collect the pieces and to preserve them from falling into the hands of illegalartifacttraders. Tamayo left the museum to his native state of Oaxaca to make his fellow Mexicans aware of their rich heritage. The attractive displays are arranged according to aesthetic theme.