Museum sights in San José
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A
Teatro Nacional
On the southern side of the Plaza de la Cultura resides the Teatro Nacional, San José’s most revered public building. Constructed in 1897, it features a columned neoclassical facade that is flanked by statues of Beethoven and Calderón de la Barca, a 17th-century Spanish dramatist. The lavish marble lobby and auditorium are lined with paintings depicting various facets of 19th-century life. The most famous is Alegoría al café y el banano, an idyllic canvas showing coffee and banana harvests. The painting was produced in Italy and shipped to Costa Rica for installation in the theater, and the image was reproduced on the old ₡5 note (now out of circulation). It is clea…
reviewed
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B
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.
reviewed
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C
Museo de Oro Precolombino y Numismática
This three-in-one museum houses a glittering collection of pre-Columbian gold and other artifacts, including historical currency and some contemporary art. The museum is owned by the Banco Central and its architecture brings to mind all the warmth and comfort of a bank vault. Security is tight; all visitors must leave bags at the door.
reviewed
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D
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 newly restored period galleries in the northeast corner, which feature turn-of-the-20th-centu…
reviewed
