Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology

The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology at Harvard displays cultural objects from six continents, a short walk from Harvard Square. Visitors encounter towering totem poles, large Maya sculptures and artifacts from the ancient world, and the museum is especially known for its Native American and Mesoamerican collections, which include life-size casts of Maya monuments. Founded in 1866, it is one of the oldest museums in the world devoted to anthropology.

Changing exhibitions dig into specific stories, such as Wiyohpiyata: Lakota Images of the Contested West, which features 19th-century warrior art, and Digging Veritas, which looks at the archaeology of colonial Harvard. The museum hosts lectures and events for all ages throughout the year. It belongs to the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture, a group that welcomes more than 335,000 visitors annually, and a single ticket also covers the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

What to Know

• Harvard ID holders get in free with a guest, and members are always free.
• Massachusetts residents can visit free during set weekly hours with proof of residency.
• Guests with EBT or WIC cards receive free general admission.
• On average, more than 40 percent of the museum group’s visitors get in free through access programs.