Quito Archaeological Museum

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Relive the history of Ecuador's most ancient cultures at the Archaeology Museum, one of the finest archaeological and gold artifact collections in the Americas.

Tour Details

Enjoy scenic, Colonial and artistic Quito. Visit museums, monasteries and the golden altars of its many churches. Then, stand with a foot on each hemisphere on the Middle of the World. The capital of Ecuador has a setting that few cities can match.  During the 13th century it was the prosperous center of the Kingdom of Quitus.  It later became the northern capital of the Inca Empire.  In the 16th and 17th centuries, Colonial architects built formidable temples, monasteries and mansions, creating an urban jewel designated by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site.  Quito's artistic creativity awaits the visitor in cosmopolitan galleries and boutiques filled with contemporary paintings, sculptures and exquisite traditional crafts. 

Additional Information

Relive the history of Ecuador’s most ancient cultures at the Archaeology Museum, one of the finest archaeological and gold artifact collections in the Americas,  part of the vast collection owned by the Central Bank of Ecuador.

There are over 1800 pieces arranged in chronological corridors with explanatory panels and dioramas.

Travel Facts

• Dress in layers (T-shirt, blouse, sweater, coat)
• Take a sweater even if the day is warm and sunny
• Rain protection advised in the afternoon.  This tour includes walking at an altitude of 2800 meters (9200 feet) and climbing stairs
• Sun protection (SPF 40)
• Good walking shoes
• No pictures or filming are allowed inside the museum; your camera must be left with the guard at the entrance.

Attractions

ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM 
It is located at the Ecuadorian House of Culture in Quito and covers an extension of approximately 800 square meters, with over 1800 pieces on exhibit. It shows the evolution of the cultures that developed in Ecuador in pre-Columbian times.

The Archaelogical Museum is the product of a rigorous selection from the vast collection wich is the property of the Central Bank. The pieces exhibited correspond to the period between 4000 BC (the oldest piece) and 1534 (the arrival of the Spanish Conquers to Ecuador).

These vestiges, conceived by anonymous and skilled hands, represent the origin of the ecuadorian nation. The study and viewing of them show us a past that is still present and the deep roots of Ecudor as a country.

For a better panoramic view of the pre-Columbian period, and to allow an encounter with our origins, visitors are guided along a chronologic corridor, complemented by illustrative dioramas with artistic renditions of the daily life of the ancient cultures, and the Hall of Gold.

The chronologic corridor shows the most representative pieces of each period, together with a detailed explanation of the charcteristics of each, and of the culture that developed during this time.

The periods are as follows:

• Paleo-Indian 6000-4000 BC defined by activities of hunting, fishing and recollection of food.
• Formative 4000-600 BC defined by the appearance of agriculture, the building of permanent and solid home structures, communal cemeteries, use of stone implements and complex funeral ceremonies.
• Regional Development 300 BC to 600 AD during this period the primitive societies stratified, there was intense commerce with other geographic areas in what is now Ecuador and with other regions of Central America. Religious ceremonies were monopolized by the chaste (class) of shamans.
• Integration 600-1534 AD characterized by the concentrations of power in one in one individual, the curaca, and a rigid social stratification. Agriculture flourished with the system of terraces.

Dioramas:
The illustrative dioramas correspond to the cultures of Real Alto, Las Vegas, La Tolita, Valdivia, Cochasquí and Cotocollao, and show in detail the architecture of the ceremonial centers and religious practices performed in them. These dioramas are the product of years of reserch by the archaelogists of the Central Bank in the original sites.

Hall of Gold:
The Hall of Gold presents an exhaustive synthesis of the most precious legacy of magnificence and grandeur. In Ecuador as in all the pre-Colombian Andean world, the principal manifestation of power, hierarchy and wealth was the brilliance of gold and other precious metals.
On display are masks, nose pendants, rings, earrings and ornaments in gold and platinum, as well as artifacts of everyday use such as golden needles, fish hooks and depilatory tweezers. 

Quito Cultural Tours

Quito, ethereal city of translucent vitality

The capital of Ecuador has a setting that few cities can match.  During the 13th century it was the prosperous center of the Kingdom of the Quitus.  It later became the northern capital of the Inca Empire.  In the 16th and 17th centuries, Colonial architects built formidable temples, monasteries and mansions, creating an urban jewel designated by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site.  Quito's artistic creativity awaits the visitor in cosmopolitan galleries and boutiques filled with contemporary paintings, sculptures and exquisite traditional crafts. 

The stay in Quito must include a visit to the Colonial sector, the old and charming city with  400 years of Spanish heritage.  Also, visit the Middle of the World, the very center of the earth, at latitude 0°, and enjoy a performance of the JACCHIGUA Folklore Ballet featuring a troupe of brilliantly costumed dancers reenacting traditional rituals and celebrations.