Museum sights in San José
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A
Museo de Jade
You will find the world’s largest collection of American jade (pronounced ‘ha-day’ in Spanish) at this small museum on the 1st floor of the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS; National Insurance Institute). The pieces are varied: expect to see display cases cluttered with translucent jade carvings that depict fertility goddesses, shamans, frogs and snakes, as well as some incredible pottery (some of which reflects Maya influences), including a highly unusual ceramic head displaying a row of serrated teeth. The craftsmanship is generally excellent and pieces are in a fine state of conservation.
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B
Museo de Ciencias Naturales La Salle
Near the southwest corner of Parque La Sabana is the Museo de Ciencias Naturales La Salle, which has an extensive collection of dusty stuffed animals and minerals. The exhibit has definitely seen better days, and although some of the animals look like they’re about to disintegrate, you’d be hard pressed to find a more bizarre display of taxidermy. It’s in the old Colegio La Salle (high school).
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C
Museo de Oro Precolombino y Numismática
This three-in-one museum houses an extensive collection of Costa Rica's most priceless pieces of pre-Columbian gold and other artifacts, including historical currency and some contemporary regional art. The museum, housed underneath the Plaza de la Cultura, is owned by the Banco Central and its architecture brings to mind all the warmth and comfort of a bank vault. Security is tight; visitors must leave bags at the door.
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D
Museo de Arte Costarricense
At the eastern entrance to the Parque La Sabana is the Museo de Arte Costarricense, in a Spanish-style structure that served as San José’s main airport terminal until 1955. The newly remodeled museum features regional art and other exhibits.
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E
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica
The Museo Nacional is located inside the old Bellavista Fortress, which served as the old army headquarters and saw fierce fighting (hence the pockmarks) in the 1948 civil war. It was here that President José Figueres Ferrer announced, in 1949, that he was abolishing the country’s military.
The museum provides a quick survey of Costa Rican history, with exhibits of pre-Columbian pieces from ongoing digs, as well as artifacts from the colony and the early republic. Among the many notable pieces is the fountain pen that Figueres used to sign the 1949 constitution. Don’t miss the period galleries in the northeast corner, which feature turn-of-the-20th-century furnishings…
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F
Museo Homenaje Joaquín García Monge
The Galería García Monge features temporary exhibitions by contemporary Costa Rican and Central American artists.
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G
Museo de Insectos
This museum has an extensive collection of insects assembled by the Facultad de Agronomía at the Universidad de Costa Rica. Curiously, it is housed in the basement of the music building (Facultad de Artes Musicales), a brutalist structure painted an incongruous shade of Barbie pink. It is claimed that this is the only insect museum of its size in Central America. The museum is signposted from the Iglesia de San Pedro.
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H
Museo de los Niños & Galería Nacional
If you were wondering how to get your young kids interested in art and science, this unusual museum – actually two museums in one – is an excellent place to start. Housed in an old penitentiary built in 1909, it is part children’s museum and part art gallery. Small children will love the hands-on exhibits related to science, geography and natural history, while grown-ups will enjoy the unusual juxtaposition of contemporary art in abandoned prison cells.
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I
Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo
Commonly referred to as MADC, the Contemporary Art & Design Museum is housed in the historic National Liquor Factory building, which dates from 1856. The largest and most important contemporary art museum in the region, MADC is focused on showing the works of contemporary Costa Rican, Central American and South American artists and occasionally features temporary exhibits devoted to interior design, fashion and graphic art.
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