有別於美國東西岸都會型博物館的風貌，美國西南地區博物館呈現了獨特的在地屬性——印地安、西班牙殖民、墨西哥以及盎格魯美國風格兼容並蓄。為社群而存在、與社群共榮共生，是該地區博物館共有的特色。本文以亞利桑那州立博物館、亞利桑那歷史協會以及新墨西哥州印地安藝術文化博物館為例，略述此三間博物館在典藏、展覽與教育等面向的實踐。最後，則以展覽、活動等異同之比較，觀察發現此三間博物館於營造「社群認同」時所產生的共同問題。

Quite different from some museums on the West or East coast that manifest urbanity, the museums in the Southwestern America focus on their unique localities and mixtures of cultures such as Native American, Spanish Colonial, Mexican, and Anglo-American. “Living in and prospering with local communities”has become a common attribute among the museums in this area. This essay introduces three museums located in the Southwestern America, the Arizona State Museum, the Arizona Historical Society Museum, and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in New Mexico, and explores the wide array of tasks these museums perform. This is followed by a comparison of perspectives in collection, exhibition, and education. Observations of shared problems among these museums when dealing with the issue of“community identity”are also provided.