Alemania en la Colección Franz Mayer

Some of the German writing cabinets here date from the 1500s, and until June they sat in the museum's storerooms. El Universal lists them among the pieces finally brought out, with maps, travel drawings, Villa Alta trunks and decorative silver, all gathered by Franz Mayer, a Mannheim-born banker who settled in Mexico in 1905.

There's no single room: the German holdings are threaded through the renovated permanent galleries, so you come across them among the rest of the collection. The press calls it Alemania: Revoluciones en el arte y la ciencia, made with the Goethe-Institut and built around printing, maps, alchemy, scientific travel and porcelain. Work by Alicja Kwade, Gregor Hildebrandt, Candida Höfer and others, plus sound pieces, sits among the old objects.

The director says the museum can usually show only 7 per cent of its holdings. Entry is the MXN 130 general ticket (75 for students, teachers and seniors, under-12s free), and free for everyone on Tuesdays. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00.