[1] Located in the historic center of Mexico City in an old fire house, the museum has a collection which includes textiles, pottery, glass, piñatas, alebrijes, furniture and much more.

Its purpose is to serve as a reference for Mexican crafts as well as promoting them through workshops, and other events to both Mexico and foreign tourism.

[4] The permanent collection contains both older and newer craft pieces from the various traditions that make up Mexican culture.

[1] Some of the principal private donors include Alfonso Romo of Grupo Savia, who had promoted crafts for a number of years.

[2] The collection is organized into five permanent halls divided by theme, and two dedicated to "grand masters" each of which contains various kinds of crafts.

Crafts displayed here are of many different types including pottery, basketry, wood carving, precious metal working, glasswork, textiles, papier-mâché and others.

For special occasions such as Dia de Muertos, workshops have included those on making Catrina figures, sugar skulls and traditional candies.

Many of the products come from villages in Michoacán, often populated only by women and children as the men go to places like the United States to work.

[4] The building was constructed in 1927 by architect Vicente Mendiola as part of the government’s efforts to modernize the city’s infrastructure at the time.

Most of the monumental alebrijes are created with cardboard except for those from Oaxaca which are partially made of wood, and wind their way from the main plaza (Zócalo), through the historic center onto the Paseo de la Reforma ending at the Angel of Independence.

After the parade, the alebrijes are placed on display for about two weeks on Paseo de la Reforma between the Angel of Independence and the Diana Fountain.