First it was last spring's deadly swine flu epidemic, when Mexico’s government ordered public venues, including museums, to temporarily close their doors and the tourism industry came close to collapsing. Now a recession that could be the worst in 30 years has triggered emergency plans to cut billions of dollars from the federal budget, which has museum directors, curators, artists, and performers bracing for the worst.

Authorities have not said how deep the budget cuts will be, but at major museums there are fears of layoffs, cancellations of exhibits, and blackout days. Mexican museums, which are among the country's most important tourist attractions, rely heavily on government money to stay open. Those that do depend on private donors have seen contributions shrink. Some museum and gallery officials say they have already cut back, but in ways that the public shouldn't notice, such as postponing exhibits, reducing overtime, suspending publications, or dropping nonessential personnel.

Read more at the Los Angeles Times.