Fodor's Expert Review Museo del Oro Precolombino

Downtown Fodor's Choice

This dazzling modern museum in a three-story underground structure beneath the stark plaza north of the Teatro Nacional contains Central America's largest collection of pre-Columbian gold jewelry—20,000 troy ounces in more than 1,600 individual pieces—all owned by the Banco Central (the country's central bank) and displayed attractively in bilingual exhibits. Many pieces are in the form of frogs and eagles, two animals perceived by the region's early cultures to have great spiritual significance. A spiffy illumination system makes the pieces sparkle. All that glitters here is not gold: most spectacular are the various shaman figurines, which represent the human connection to animal deities. One of the halls houses the Museo Numismática (Coin Museum), a repository of historic coins and bills and other objects used as legal tender throughout the country's history. Rotating art exhibitions happen on another level.

Fodor's Choice Specialty Museum

Quick Facts

C. 5, Avdas. Ctl.–2
San José, San José  10101, Costa Rica

2243–4202

www.museosdelbancocentral.org

Sight Details:
Rate Includes: $15, includes Museo Numismática

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