Abstract We observed 29 Hungaria and 31 Phocaea asteroids at the European Southern Observatory (Chile) in the wavelength range 4900–9200A . The Phocaea and the Hungaria are both high-inclination groups, located at the inner edge of the main belt near the ν 5 , ν 6 , and ν 16 secular resonances. We confirm that the Hungaria group is composed mainly of E-type asteroids but with a relatively large number of S-types. The Phocaea group, on the other hand, is composed mainly of S-type asteroids. We discuss the possible implications of the observed composition distribution on the origin and evolution of these high-inclination groups.