It may seem unusual to have a museum on Central and South American cultures in the heart of Europe, but the Museum of the Americas brings to light an area that Spain has shared a long, intertwining history with, from long before Columbus landed in America to Colonial times. The focus in the museum is on the culture and languages of the indigenous peoples of Central and South America, including the remaining legacy of the now-extinguished Aztec civilisation. broken into three different sections: Pre-Columbian, Ethnology (the study of cultures) and Colonial.

The permanent collection at the Museum houses an impressive 25,000 pieces, including sculptures, jewellery, pottery, and fascinating artefacts taken from archaeological digs as early as the mid-18th century, when the Royal Cabinet of Natural History began amassing the collection. The museum itself didn't open under the name of the Museo de América until 1941, and it didn't move to its current location until 1965, but the collection itself has been slowly accumulating for over 200 years. Today the building in which the museum sits is an impressive, custom-built edifice, meant to evoke an 18th century Spanish mission in the Americas, with the smooth lines, high arches, and towering steeple of a neo-colonial era church.

Museo de América

Av. de los Reyes Católicos, 6, 28040 Madrid

Opening Hours

Tuesday-Saturday 9.30-15.00, Thursday 9.30-19.00, Sunday and holidays 10.00-15.00