Horacio Alejos León Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology

Archeological museum specialized in the Mayan culture located in Retalhuleu, to the western part of the Guatamala.
Horacio Alejos León Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
Image taken from the Museum's Facebook page.
Type: Archaeological Museum
Country:
Guatemala
Establishment: 1993

The Horacio Alejos León Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (Spanish: Museo de Arqueología y Etnología de Horacio Alejos León) is a museum located in the Guatemalan city of Retalhuleu, this museum exhibits vestiges of the Mayan culture.[1]

History

The museum is named after its founder, the then governor of the department, who established it in 1993.[2] The museum was inaugurated with the assistance of archaeologists from the Takalik Aba National Archaeological Park.[3] In June 2017, a wall of the museum collapsed after heavy rains in addition to an earthquake that struck the region during that year.[4] The museum also has annual exhibits about floriculture with arrangements of exotic plants found in this Guatemalan department.[5]

Collections

The museum specializes in exhibits of pieces found in the southern coast of Guatemala.[6] The museum is divided into 8 rooms, which talk about the archaeological pieces collected in the department dating from the pre-classic, classic and post-classic periods. In addition, the museum presents old photographs of the city.[2] The museum also exhibits potbellies that were found in the archaeological site of San Sebastian, this site is located approximately 20 km from the other archaeological site Takalik Abaj, also located in the department of Retalhuleu.[7] The museum also features exhibits from other indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica, such as the Olmec and Toltec, as well as traditional Quiche costumes. The museum's collections include vessels, figurines, bowls and pitchers that were found on farms around the department.[8]

References

  1. Delgado, E. B. (2003). Retalhuleu. Bancafé, Grupo Financiero del País. (in Spanish)

  2. Paredes, E., & Miranda, R. (2014-06-09). Museos de Retalhuleu y Escuintla ofrecen gran diversidad - Prensa Libre (in Spanish)

  3. Retalhuleu: Capital del Mundo. Prensa Libre (in Spanish)

  4. Miranda, R. Sismo y lluvias causan daños en pared de museo en Retalhuleu. - Prensa Libre (in Spanish)

  5. Miranda, R. (2019-11-14). Exponen flores en museo de Retalhuleu - Prensa Libre (in Spanish)

  6. Guatemágica, el conjunto de destinos turísticos para descubrir en Guatemala. Guatemala.com

  7. Guernsey, J. (2012). Sculpture and Social Dynamics in Preclassic Mesoamerica. Cambridge University Press.

  8. Kwei, I. (2018-07-13). Conoce el museo arqueológico en Retalhuleu con serie de piezas mesoamericanas. Aprende Guatemala

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