Museum sights in Guatemala
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Palacio Nacional de la Cultura
The imposing Palacio Nacional de la Cultura lies on the north side of the Parque Central. It was built as a presidential palace between 1936 and 1943 during the dictatorial rule of General Jorge Ubico at enormous cost to the lives of the prisoners who were forced to labor here. It's the third palace to stand on the site.
Despite its tragic background, architecturally the palace is one of the country's most interesting constructions, a mélange of multiple earlier styles from Spanish Renaissance to neoclassical. Today, most government offices have been removed from here and it's open as a museum and for a few ceremonial events. Visits are by guided tour (available in Engli…
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Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología
The Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología has the country's biggest collection of ancient Mayan artifacts, but explanatory information is very sparse. There's a great wealth of monumental stone sculpture, including Classic-period stelae from Tikal, Uaxactún and Piedras Negras, a superb throne from Piedras Negras and animal representations from preclassic Kaminaljuyú.
Also here are rare wooden lintels from temples at Tikal and El Zotz, and a room of beautiful jade necklaces and masks. Don't miss the large-scale model of Tikal. The ethnology section has displays on the languages, costumes, dances, masks and homes of Guatemala's indigenous peoples.
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Museo Miraflores
Museo Miraflores is an excellent, modern museum inauspiciously jammed between two shopping malls a few kilometers out of town. Downstairs focuses on objects found at Kaminaljuyú, with fascinating trade route maps showing the site's importance.
Upstairs there are displays on textiles and indigenous clothing, separated by region, from around the country. Signs are in Spanish and (mostly) English. Out back is a pleasant grassy area with paths and seating - a good place to take a breather. To get there, catch any bus from the center going to Tikal Futura and get off there. The museum is 250m down the road between it and the Miraflores shopping center.
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Museo Ixchel
The Museo Ixchel is named for the Mayan goddess of the moon, women, reproduction and, of course, textiles. Photographs and exhibits of indigenous costumes and other crafts show the incredible richness of traditional arts in Guatemala's highland towns. If you enjoy Guatemalan textiles at all, you must visit this museum. It has disabled access, a section for children, a café, a shop and a library, and guided tours are available in English or Spanish.
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Railway Museum
The Railway Museum is one of the city's more intriguing museums (and the only one with a Domino's Pizza attached). Documented here are the glory days of the troubled Guatemalan rail system, along with some quirky artifacts, like hand-drawn diagrams of derailments and a kitchen set up with items used in dining cars. You can go climbing around the passenger carriages, but not the locomotives. It's between 9a and 10a Avs.
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Museo Popol Vuh
Museo Popol Vuh has well-displayed pre-Hispanic figurines, incense burners and burial urns, plus carved wooden masks and traditional textiles, fill several rooms. Other rooms hold colonial paintings and gilded wood and silver artifacts. A faithful copy of the Dresden Codex, one of the precious 'painted books' of the Maya, is among the most interesting pieces, and there's a colorful display of animals in Mayan art.
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Museo Maya Tzutujil
Museo Maya Tzutujil is the more humble of the two museums, but it does have some good displays on the various trajes (traditional costumes) used by people around the lake, some great old photographs and a good lending library/bookstore. Once a month or so, a Maya priest comes to perform ceremonies here, and the public is welcome to attend - ask when the next one is.
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Museo Multicultural de Lívingston
The Museo Multicultural de Lívingston, upstairs on the municipal park in front of the public dock, has some excellent displays on the history and culture of the area, focusing on the ethnic diversity, with Garífuna, Q'eqchi, Hindu and Ladino cultures represented. While you're down here, check out the open-air alligator enclosure in the middle of the park.
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Museo del Hermano Pedro
This museum houses relics from the Iglesia de San Francisco and the Santo Hermano's curiously well-preserved personal belongings, including some spectacularly uncomfortable-looking underwear. The pasillo de los milagros is a corridor jam-packed with testimonials, photos, plaques and crutches donated by people who claim to have been healed by the Hermano.
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Museo de Santiago
The Museo de Santiago is housed in the City Hall (which dates mostly from 1743) in the former town jail. The mermaid statues that once graced the fountain in the Central Park are here, along with a room full of creepy portraits whose eyes follow you everywhere. Also on exhibit are canons from the Castillo San Felipe and some good examples of colonial era pottery.
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Museo Regional
Chichi's regional museum is crammed with a collection of ceremonial masks, copper ax heads, obsidian spearheads, incense burners, figurines and metates (grindstones for maize). The museum also holds the Rossbach jade collection, with some beautiful necklaces and figurines. Hugo Rossbach was Chichi's Catholic priest for many years until his death in 1944.
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Museo de Historia Natural
Housed in the Casa de la Cultura, the Museo de Historia Natural comprises a fascinating collection. Exhibits include the history of the Maya, the liberal revolution in Central American politics and the Estado de Los Altos, of which Quetzaltenango was once the capital. Marimbas, the weaving industry, and other local artifacts also claim places here.
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Museo de Arte Colonial
The San Carlos University, now in Guatemala City, was founded in Antigua in 1676; what used to be its main building (built in 1763), houses the Museo de Arte Colonial, with some expressive sculptures of saints and paintings by leading Mexican artists of the colonial era, such as Miguel Cabrera and Juan de Correa.
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Museo de los Niños
Almost opposite the entrance to La Aurora Zoo is the Museo de los Niños, a hands-on affair that is a sure success if you have kids to keep happy. The fun ranges from a giant jigsaw-map of Guatemala to a Lego room and, most popular of all, a room of original and entertaining ball games.
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Museo Tz'unun Ya'
Museo Tz'unun Ya' is an excellent, modern museum focusing in part on culture and folklore and in part on the fascinating geology of the region. Displays are semi-interactive and a free guided tour (in Spanish only at the time of writing) is included in the admission price.
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Museo del Libro Antiguo
The Museo del Libro Antiguo showcases the greatest hits of the early days of Guatemalan printing, plus a replica of Guatemala's first printing press, which began work here in the 1660s. There is an entire room dedicated to the process of making marbled paper.
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Museo de Arqueología y Etnología
The Museo de Arqueología y Etnología is a small museum of archaeological relics. Upstairs are historical photos and a mural showing locations of 33 archaeological sites in Retalhuleu department.
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Centro Cultural Metropolitano
On the first floor of the Palacio de Correos you'll find the Centro Cultural Metropolitano, a surprisingly avant-garde cultural center, hosting art exhibitions, book launches, handicraft workshops and film nights.
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Museo El Príncipe Maya
The private Museo El Príncipe Maya features a collection of pre-Columbian artifacts, with an emphasis on jewelry, other body adornments and pottery. The displays are well designed and maintained.
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Museo Nacional de Historia
The Museo Nacional de Historia is a jumble of historical relics with an emphasis on photography and portraits. Check the carefully manicured hairstyles of the 19th-century generals and politicos.
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Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno
Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno has a collection of 20th-century Guatemalan art including works by well-known Guatemalan artists such as Carlos Mérida, Carlos Valente and Humberto Gavarito.
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Museo de Historia Natural
The university's Museo de Historia Natural is at the same site as the Universidad de San Calos's botanical garden where the admission price covers both.
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Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Jorge Ibarra
This museum's main claim to fame is its large collection of dissected animals.
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