The Brazil National Museum has reopened after nearly seven years of reconstruction, with parts of the restoration completed. The museum was ravaged by a fire on September 2, 2018, which destroyed up to 92% of its 20 million artifacts. Thankfully, the fossilized skull of Luzia, an ancient indigenous woman from the late Pleistocene, survived intact.

The reconstruction cost approximately $95 million but was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Brazil's Minister of Education, Santana, noted that recovery efforts began immediately after the fire and the museum expects the entire reconstruction to be completed by 2027. In the meantime, artifacts that have been organized will be displayed in a temporary exhibition for the public to learn about the progress.

Located in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazil National Museum was originally established in the early 19th century as a royal palace under Portuguese rule, later serving as the temporary seat of the Congress from 1889 to 1891 before becoming a national museum in 1892. Following renovations, the museum has modern solar panels installed and expanded educational facilities, but over 10 million artifacts lost in the fire will not be able to be exhibited again.