The Tezozómoc Museum, an iconic venue of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) dedicated to bringing science to people of all ages, opens its doors to transform the way children, young people, and adults engage with two disciplines that are fundamental to everyday life: mathematics and computer science.
After more than two years of planning, assessment, restoration, and museography, the new Mathematics and Computer Science Gallery was formally inaugurated at an event led by the Secretary of Research and Graduate Studies (SIP), Martha Leticia Vázquez González; the head of the Directorate of Science and Technology Outreach (DDiCyT), Edmundo Omar Matamoros Hernández; the Director of Graduate Studies, Samuel Pérez Rodríguez, the Director of the Higher School of Computing (Escom), Iván Giovanny Mosso García, and Escom researcher Genaro Juárez Martínez.
The excitement was palpable. From the museum’s upper lobby, the Polytechnic community and the families who attended were able to explore the hall for the first time and discover an experience that is, at once, a tribute to knowledge and a sensory journey filled with nostalgia, discovery, and play.
THE SCIENTIFIC AND HUMAN PERSPECTIVE
Amid this vibrant atmosphere, the institution’s leadership also found an opportunity to reflect on the significance of this moment. For Dr. Vázquez González, this exhibition hall represents a source of immense satisfaction. Above all, because it is a project that aligns with the institute’s core mission: to bring science closer to society.
She particularly celebrated the fact that the room was designed to be playful and interactive, so that everyone from young children to adults can understand concepts, recall others, and be amazed by technological evolution.
“Mathematics sometimes generates a bit of reluctance, but it is fundamental. It is in everything,” she stated.
During the tour, visitors can explore a timeline of computing devices and recognize equipment they may have once used themselves. “It’s fascinating to see how they went from everyday tools to museum pieces,” the secretary reflected.
Her hope for visitors is that they will reflect on two powerful pillars: mathematical knowledge, which helps us develop logic and critical thinking; and technological evolution, which transforms the way we live, communicate, and interact with the world.
MATHEMATICS, TECHNOLOGY, AND THE MUSEUM’S ROLE IN OUTREACH
That same vision of integration and historical significance was evident in the words of Dr. Matamoros Hernández, who emphasized that this was the missing piece needed to complete the museum’s full renovation. For him, it was impossible to conceive of a science museum without mathematics and computer science, fields that form the backbone of contemporary knowledge and technological development.
He explained that the hall is divided into two zones:
Mathematics With interactive exhibits designed for visitors to experience essential concepts: from arithmetic to analytical geometry and probability. The intention is to learn through play, reinforcing what is learned in school in a different way.
Computer Science With thematic sections featuring computers, calculators, video game consoles, cell phones, motherboards, floppy disks, and artifacts that clearly explain who created them, how they worked, and how they gave rise to the devices we use every day.
“We want people to see how people interact with technology, how it has evolved, and how it will continue to transform our lives,” said Omar Matamoros.
THE MUSEUM’S VISION IS TO RESCUE, REINTERPRET, AND REKINDLE A LOVE FOR MATHEMATICS
This perspective on the connection between people and technology was also reflected in the creative process behind the renovation. The person responsible for the museum design is Yaloani Méndez, who holds a master’s degree in Museology with specialization in mysterious museums. She explained that the renovation did not start from scratch, but from a fundamental premise: “it’s not about coming in and throwing everything away.” For her, the first step was to conduct a thorough assessment of the museum’s condition to understand the logic and significance of each original piece.
That respect for the past made it possible to salvage invaluable elements, such as the Apollonian cone, the Gauss bell, and other devices that, rather than being static objects, serve as conceptual stations that accompany the visitor on a journey resembling an educational video game: first arithmetic, then geometry, followed by algebra, and finally analytical geometry and probability.
“We wanted the exhibition to have different levels: What do I need to understand before reaching the Apollonian cone? Why does the hyperbola become so important? That entire narrative thread was woven with the intention of making visitors feel like they’re making progress,” explained Méndez, who admits that seeing the exhibition space come to life after so many months of meticulous work is “spectacular.”
Her hope for visitors to the room is clear: “that curious visitors leave feeling intrigued and eager to read another book or visit another museum,” and it is precisely that spark that drives the entire project.
EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE WITH INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES AND PRACTICAL THINKING
And that drive to spark new questions and discoveries is particularly reflected in the area dedicated to mathematics. Yolanda Ayala, an engineer by profession and a collaborator, described in detail the activities and experiences designed for this area.
She explained that visitors will be able to use tools such as the abacus, games to identify absolute and relative values, materials for geometric exploration, and exercises that demonstrate that mathematics can also be sensory, fun, and surprisingly visual.
The goal, Ayala explains, is for visitors to discover through hands-on activities that mathematics is present in every aspect of life, from the shape of a building to the algorithms that power a cell phone.
Her hope for those who visit this exhibition is simple yet profound: that they leave motivated, inspired, and with the certainty that mathematics is not an obstacle, but a powerful tool.
THE GUARDIAN OF TECHNOLOGICAL MEMORY: A JOURNEY INTO THE PAST OF COMPUTING
After this tour that encourages hands-on learning, the experience expands as visitors enter the world of computing—a space that could not have a more passionate guide than Dr. Genaro Juárez Martínez of the Escom. His connection to the museum began in 2013, when he embarked on a mission that to many would sound impossible: to search for and rescue old computers from the IPN. That journey took him to schools, laboratories, storage rooms, and even the University of Puebla, where the legendary PDP-10 was located—one of the first machines used for teaching and development in Mexico. That almost archaeological discovery led him to search for the PDP-12 throughout the Polytechnic; it was then that a colleague told him it might be at the Tezozómoc Museum, and indeed, there it was. This discovery sparked a deeply emotional connection to create a computer museum at the IPN.
In creating the exhibit, he worked closely with Yaloani to determine which machines were representative, historically significant, and educational. “It was a thorough process,” he recalled. Over time, they selected storage, communication, and processing devices, as well as complete systems, which today form an evolutionary timeline ranging from mechanical computers and punch cards to modern cell phones.
The result is an experience that evokes nostalgia for those who grew up with these technologies and genuine amazement for new generations. “The main goal is to spark interest, to motivate young people to understand how technological development unfolded,” said the researcher, who maintains that Mexico deserves and needs a national museum dedicated exclusively to the history of computing. “This exhibition is a first step.”
A SPACE FOR ALL AGES: FROM THE PAST TO THE FUTURE
After listening to the visitors’ reactions, the essence of the room becomes clear: a space that combines past, present, and future. The past is represented through computers, calculators, punch cards, floppy disks, and equipment that shaped entire generations.
The present comes alive through interactive exhibits where mathematics unfolds to life through lights, movement, and play.
The future emerges in the questions children ask as they walk through the gallery: “How did that work?”, “Why was it so big back then?”, or “What comes after the cell phone?”
The Tezozómoc Museum has achieved something not all museums can claim: creating a meeting place where adults’ nostalgia blends with children’s curiosity.
OPEN INVITATION
With the excitement of seeing this project come to fruition, the IPN invites the entire community and the general public to visit the museum, explore this exhibition, and discover that science—far from being abstract or difficult—can be deeply human, fun, and surprising.
The Tezozómoc Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The box office closes at 4 p.m., and the last tour runs from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Mondays.
