Municipal Museum of Guayaquil, Museums, Culture

The Municipal Museum of Guayaquil gives visitors an overview of the city's development and history. Visitors will find the Guayaquil Municipal Museum at Calle Sucre near the Hotel Continental and between Chile and Pedro Carbo. You can visit this interesting and historical museum from Tuesday to Saturday between 9am and 4pm in the afternoon. On Sunday the times change slightly and visitors can enjoy the museum between 10am and 2pm in the afternoon, free of charge. Visitors should keep in mind that the notes for all the displays are written in Spanish. Nevertheless there are pamphlets that explain everything in English so remember to collect one of these at the start if you find this language easier to understand.

The Municipal Museum contains four halls that all feature a specific aspect of the city’s history. The first hall displays archaeological pieces that have been collected in and around Guayaquil. It is this sort of archaeological evidence that gives researchers necessary and vital information about the original inhabitants that occupied this location. Not only does it tell them about how early inhabitants lived and what they ate, but it has also provided insight into the origin of the city’s name. The artifacts that you will find here are very similar to what you will see at the Museo Nahim Isaías.

Something that you may find particularly interesting is the story of the Amazonian tribe known as the Jivaros. Once they had defeated their enemy they would behead each of their opponents and, through a long process, they would reduce their heads to the size of dolls. This has taken the interest of investigators as it is still unknown today exactly how this tribe shrunk their enemies’ heads and what procedures and techniques they used. If you have the stomach to view this impressive collection of “military trophies” then visit the first hall of this fantastic museum located between Sucre Street and Pedro Carbo Street.

In the second hall you can expect to see information and displays that deal with the Colonial times. There is a strong emphasis on what the people of Guayaquil had to endure during this time and the struggle they had in their fight for freedom. The third hall deals with the start and the formation of the republic and provides information about the revolutions that took place during the same period. The last hall of the Guayaquil Municipal Museum is dedicated solely to the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, incorporating all the significant events that occurred over this period. The kind of things that you will find on display here are pistols, army uniforms, a car from the early 19th century and coins. These items give us an idea of what was available in those days. So visit this great museum for a fascinating trip back in time.

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