El Museo del Barrio

El Museo del Barrio Review

El barrio is Spanish for "the neighborhood" and the nickname for East Harlem, a largely Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican and Dominican community. The museum, on the edge of this neighborhood, focuses on Latin American and Caribbean art. The more than 6,500-object permanent collection includes numerous pre-Columbian artifacts, sculpture, photography, film and video, and traditional art from all over Latin America. The collection of 360 santos, carved wooden folk-art figures from Puerto Rico, is a popular attraction. Thanks to a renovation in 2009, the museum now sports a glass facade and a redesigned courtyard.