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Quito Museums - Thursday, April 3, 2008
Quito MuseumsQuitoâ??s museums show us the great cultural richness, which made out of Quito one of the Humanity Patrimony declared. We can find different issues: religious and colonial art represented in paintings, sculptures; aborigines and Incaâ??s archeology pieces; art expositions from the modern and ethnic Republic, which represent the when Quitos identity and beauty.
Alberto Mena Caama�±o
It is located in the old building where the Real Audience Quarter of Quito and the Central University of Ecuador worked. Nowadays itâ??s the Metropolitan Cultural Centre.
Is has a great collection of figures made in wax, which represent the most important characters our History: from de Revolution from 1809; the French Geodesic work, for example the Ecuadorian scientific Pedro Vicente Maldonado; the daily life from the university students that time, the Jesuits expulsion, the written from the Historia del Reino de Quito by the Father Juan de Velasco, and another big happenings.
Numism�¡tico (Numismatic)
It is located in the old building from the Central Bank of Ecuador. It shows a big collection of coins and instruments used before for the commercial exchanged since the aborigine time, the Colony and the Republic. The last national coin used was the Sucre. This museum has a complete collection from the different Sucres used in the Republic. The Sucre was used for more than a whole century.
Casa-Museo MarÃ?Âa Augusta Urrutia (MarÃ?Âa Augusta Urrutiaâ??s House-Museum)
This museum is in the house which belonged to the distinguished lady from Quito, MarÃ?Âa Augusta Urrutia, who dedicated her life to beneficence. She owned an important cultural patrimony: paintings, antique furniture, sculptures and other thing from her time. This reveled a big connection with Europe, something very common in the rich families from Quito at that time. Ã?Â
Fray Pedro Gosseal
It is inside an important religious building belonged to the Franciscans. It was created in 1924 in celebration of the 100 years of the Independency of the Republic.
It has got one of the most important samples of religious art in the whole continent, during the 16th, 17th and18th centuries. The pieces which we can underline are sculptures, paintings, high relief, etc, in rooms dedicated to great artists from the Colony, such as Bernardo de Legarda, Miguel de Santiago, Bernardo RodrÃ?Âguez, Samaniego, and others.
The coffer from the retable of Saint Catalina, Saitn LucÃ?Âa and Saint BÃ?¡rbara; the Seven paintings by Pedro Rey de Portugal; the Inmaculada by the Bernardo de Legarda are examples from the most important art pieces that time, inside Fray Pedro Gosseal museum.
Museo de la Ciudad (Museum from the City)
It is in the old Hospital San Juan de Dios, one of the first civil works built in America in the 16th century. We can fin there one beautiful chapel, which fa�§ade is made in stone. It is from the Colony time. There are also big cloisters and rooms. This museum has inside and extraordinary sample of the daily life in Quito, since its origins until our time.
Museo Nacional de Historia de la Medicina Eduardo Estrella
(Nacional Museum from the Medicineâ??s history Eduardo Estrella)
It was founded in 1982 by Dr. Eduardo Estrella. Thanks this museum we can know the Ecuadorian medicineâ??s history during 6000 years of practice. This sample allows us to know the curative value that some endemic plants have.
Itâ??s important to mention the list of the most common illness from that time, the vertical childbirth, the history of the Mercyâ??s Hospital, founded in 1565. After this its name changed in 1703 as San Juan de Dios. It received the help from the French doctors Gayraud and Domec, paid by President GarcÃ?Âa Moreno in 1873, for making professional surgical practices in Quito.
The museum shows microscopes, anesthesia masks, stove, scalpels of fixed knife, odontology tools and pliers that were used to put into the mouth to pick out the amygdales.
Casa de Sucre (Sucreâ??s house)
This museum is in a beautiful house which was constructed in 1812, in the antique mansion from the marquises from Solanda, relatives from the Mariscal Antonio Jose de Sucreâ??s wife. Later, this house belonged to the Mariscal Antonio Jose de Sucre, one of the most important characters of the Independence time in Ecuador.
There are many pictures exposed in this house. There are also guns, antique furniture, historic documents, cavalryâ??s harness, and other things related with Sucre. Inside there is a doorway with a floor made in bones and river stones. There are rooms and two-floored galleries around the central garden. This garden has columns from stone downstairs, and with wood upstairs with iron banister.
It was also known as the Blue House because the old walls were blue before they were restored.
Museo de Miguel de Santiago (Miguel de Santiagoâ??s Museum)
It is inside the Convent from San AgustÃ?Ân, where we can see lots of art pieces form the Colony. The most important from them are those painted by Miguel de Santiago, one of the most important painters that time.
We can also visit the so famous Sala Capitular, which was the room of the University of San Fulgencio, and which was later the scenery where the first document of the first Independence of America was signed the 10th august 1809. Inside the chairs are beautiful and real art pieces made in the 18th century. The most beautiful chair was reserved for important people like the Mariscal Antonio Jose de Sucre and Juan PÃ?Âo Montufar.
The room is dominated by a great Christ made in that time, and a big subterranean vault in which are buried in a common grave some distinguished people from Quitoâ??s history, religious Augustinians and founding fathers of the Independence.
Museo de Arquitectura (Architecture museum)
It was created by the Architectures School of Ecuador, in Pichincha. It is situated in an antique house which was renewed at the beginning of the 20th century. It conserves its structures of the garden, the galleries and the expositions rooms.
We can find there models of the modern architecture of Quito, which remembers us the birth and first development of the architecture in the 20th century. There also are temporary expositions of paintings and drawings from architects and works which won prizes in the architecture biennial in Quito.
Museo de Manuela S�¡enz (Manuela S�¡enz Museum)
It was created in honor to the distinguished and brave lady from Quito: Manuela S�¡enz. The museum is in the same house where she used to live. There you can find some important and historical documents, coins, objects that time and some other belongings from Manuela S�¡enz.
Manuelita SÃ?¡nez, so was she called, was very closed to the Libertador Simon BolÃ?Âvar, with whom she participated in the Independence of Ecuador. She died in exile in Paita-PerÃ?º in 1856. In that time the president of Ecuador was Vicente Rocafuerte, who didnâ??t let her come back to the country.
Museo de Fray Pedro Bedon (Fray Pedro Bedon Museum)
Inside this museum you will find an important and huge exposition of religious art, which tell us about important Dominicans. The most highlighted pieces are the collection of Kings of Israel by NicolÃ?¡s Javier GorÃ?Âbar, sculptures from Legarda, the Virgen de la Natividad by Caspicara, the throne of the silver Virgen, pieces of Fray Pedro Bedon. All of this combines with the grat architecture style from the convent and the church of Santo Domingo.
The name remembers the distinguished Dominican painter Fray Pedro Bedon, creator of the brotherhood of indigenas painters in Quito whom he teached his abilities in the 16th century.
Museo de Camilo Egas (Camilo Egas Museum)
This is a museum of contemporary art, with the most beautiful art pieces by Camilo Egas, one of the greatest painters from the 20th century, born in Quito in 1889 in San Blas. He lived in a difficult period for the Ecuadorian politics.
He entered to the Escuela de Bellas Artes de Quito (School of Arts of Quito) in 1905; The National Government gave him a scholarship for the Real Academy in Rome. So he constantly went to Italy and France. The difficult political and social situation influenced him a lot. He painted his pieces in United States. Itâ??s a great collection which talks a lot of the Ecuadorian situation.
After of a lot of work and prizes like the first prize in the concourse Mariano Aguilera in 1923, he began teaching in the new School for Social Research in 1930. He was declared Cultural Diplomatic Traveler by the Ecuadorian government in 1957. he also was declared Doctor Honoris Causa en Bellas Artes (Doctor Honoris Causa in Arts), in recognition of his work by the New School Social Research in 1962. He died in New York the 18th September in 1962.
In honor of this important artist it has created this place for discussion , promotion and diffusion of many cultural activities.
Museo de Arte Colonial (Colonial Art Museum)
It is the first museum existed in Ecuador, founded in 1939. It opened its doors in 1944. It is in a sumptuous colonial house from the 16th century, which belonged to one of the members of the Real Audiencia, Francisco de VillacÃ?Âs, and the to many famous families in Quito.
It recreates the environment of a colonial house, with handcrafts, trunks, credenzas. It includes paintings, sculptures and maps of Quito, donated by collectionists. The most important pieces are La Inmaculada painted by Manuel de Samaniego, Santa Rosa from Lima by Bernardo de Legarda, La Dolorosa by Manuel Chili Caspicara, which show the identity of the Escuela Quite�±a (Art School of Quito).
Museo de San Diego (San Diego Museum)
It is inside the convent that has the same name. It has got an important collection of religious colonial art, wall-paintings like the Milagro, aparicion y entrada del cuadro de esta capilla de la cumber del Pichincha, which was founded in the Cross Garden. There also are canvases showing the life of Santa Teresa. Those canvases have great and beautiful frames. You can find here some scenes of Christâ??s Passion. Itâ??s important to highlight the Mudejar artesonar from the presbytery, incredible and unique jewellery. There are other art pieces distributed in for rooms.
Museo de la Cima de la libertad o Templo de la Patria
(Liberty Top Museum or Patriaâ??s Temple)
It is located in the same place where the Pichinchaâ??s Battle was taken place. This battle has determinate Ecuadorâ??s Independence from Spain. Who commanded this confrontation was the General Antonio Jose de Sucre.
It has got lost of antique guns, flags, recreations of the battle, paintings, etc. We highlight the wall painted by Eduardo Kigman, one of the most important painters in Ecuador. We can also find here the so called eternal flame. All this is inside an architectonic ensemble constructed by the architect Milton Barrag�¡n in 1980, and from which itâ??s possible to enjoy a great view of Quito.
Museo del Agua (Waterâ??s Museum)
The importance of this natural resource in the whole world itâ??s getting bigger, that many people think Iâ??s going to be one of the most wanted resources. In the city of Quito, we can find a museum dedicated to this resource, in the tanks or reserve tanks form the water of Pleasure.
In this space we can find a marvellous garden called the park of the three elements: the water (coming from Chorrera: in the Pleasure), the stone, obtained from stonecutters from the Quebrada de Jerusalen (in the south of Pleasure), and the earth with which bricks and that kind of products were made in the Tejar (in the north of Pleasure).
The museum is a space covered over swimming pools. Inside there are seven thematic rooms, an auditorium and a place for events and temporary expositions. It was thought as a great structure in which front hangs a water lamina of 15x50 meters, put like a transparent curtain between the inner part of the museum and the landscape of Quito.
Museo EtnogrÃ?¡fico y de Ciencias Naturales del Colegio MejÃ?Âa (Ethnographic and Natural Science Museum from MejÃ?Âa School)
One of the most important schools in Quito is MejÃ?Âa Schools. Inside the school is this museum, which contains a good sample of 21 ethnic groups in Ecuador, each of them characterized with their clothing, customs and traditions. We can also find a good an ecological sample of Ecuador: the principal ecosystems of the country. There are samples of 1000 kings of birds, vertebrates, amphibious, mammalians, reptiles under others species belonging to the fauna of the country.
Museo Antropologico Antonio Santiana (Anthropologic Museum Antonio Santiana)
It is one of the most antique museums in Latin America. If was founded in 1925. Many distinguished anthropologists had been here. Letâ??s announce some names: the German Dr. Max Hule and the Ecuadorian Jacinto Jijon y Caama�±o, who were the pioneers in the formation and the recollection of pieces for museums Later, Dr, Antonio Santiana directed this institution.
It is located in the building of the Philosophy Faculty of the Central University of Ecuador in Quito; it also contributes to the studentâ??s formation of some similar studies. It has got an important archeological collection of some periods in our history, such as the hunting period, the fishing period, and the collection (Paleo-Indian and pre ceramics periods); from the initial agriculture and intensive. There also are collections of the commercial period (integration) of Ecuadorâ??s history.
Museo de la Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana
It has got a great collection of Ecuadorian arts, especially from the republican and contemporary periods. The most important art pieces are from the painters JoaquÃ?Ân Pinto, Antonio Salas, Juan Manosalvas, Luis Cadena, Camilo Egas, Diogenes paredes, Luis, Eduardo Kigman, Oswaldo GuayasamÃ?Ân, Estuardo Maldonado, Oswaldo Viteri, and others great Ecuadorian painters. We also can find a galley of traditional clothing. There is a section of musical instruments called Pedro Pablo Traversari, which is considerate one of the best in the world because of its important and big collection.
The Museum is located over the intersection of Av. 6 de Diciembre and Patria in the center north area of Quito.
Museo Nacional del Banco Central del Ecuador (National Museum of the Central Bank of Ecuador)
It is one of the most important museums in the whole country, because of its richness and value of the pieces shown. It shows us the Ecuadorian identity, represented in an extraordinary selection and classification of objects from different periods of Ecuadorian history: from the aboriginal, with an excellent archeological and golden sample; a sample of the Inca culture, the Spanish conquest with a huge exposition of colonial and religious art; the Independency and the republic, with paintings and sculptures belonging to this time. It also has a sample of the contemporary time.
The Museum is located over the intersection of Av. 6 de Diciembre and Patria in the center north area of Quito.
Museo Jacinto Jijo y Caama�±o (Jacinto Jijo y Caama�±o museum)
Located inside of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, one block away from the above museums in Quito, it shows an important sample of Ecuadorian archeology, besides of objects found during excavations made by Jacinto Jijo y Caama�±o in Lima-Per�º. There also is a series of paintings from the 17th to the 19th centuries belonging to different Ecuadorian artists.
Museo Weilbauer
Is has an archeological collection belonging to the marriage Eugene and Hilda Weilbauer, who made important archeological studies in the country. The pieces of these studies were donated to the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, where there also is the particular collection of the Father Pedro Porras. He was another archeologist. So, the complete collection in the country is 9000 year old. Its important not to forget the ceramic works made by pre-Columbian cultures such as the Valdivia, Chorrera, Machalilla and Cotocollao.
Museo Amazonico Abya-Yala
It is and important cultural place, where we can observe a big sample of the different amazonic communities of Ecuador, highlighting their handcrafts, clothing, house, costumes, etc. Thereâ??s also a good sample of the fauna and amazonic archeology.
The most important attractions of this museum are the so called tzanza, which are reduced head. This was part of a warrior ritual in Shuar groups.
Museo de artes (Arts museum)
It opened its doors in 1964. The visitant can make a travel trough the different stages of the countryâ??s history tanks to an important archeological and artistic sample that embraces around 9000 years. There also are samples of dishes, furniture, lamps and old miniatures.
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- Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 1:25 PM