The Gold Museum reopens with new contents, interactive resources, and museography
The Pre-Columbian Gold Museum—located under Plaza de la Cultura—will reopen on January 7th , 2019. After some moths of renovation, it will include the latest archaeological findings, the museographic design will be updated, and it will become a more interactive experience for the visitors.
New Ways of Connecting With Our Origins
This new proposal delves into the archaeological findings and interpretations, allowing visitors to connect with pre-Columbian populations and their heritage by addressing it from different thematic points of view.
The public will be able to discover interesting aspects on the lives of our ancestors, such as their role as hunters of megafauna, their first agricultural endeavors, their ample knowledge stemming from their relationship with nature, and their ability to create new technologies and specialize in them.
Throughout the tour, they will also come to know more on their daily life and ritual practices, their social organization, the rise of spiritual and political leaders, their views on gender, and their beliefs on life and death.
Although pre-Columbian metalworking techniques will continue to be the main theme, the new museum will expand the information on the development of metalwork in other zones of America currently known as Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, or Panama.
This in addition to more details on the metalcraft finishing and decorative techniques, and a special section for stone and ceramic objects preceding metalwork.
One of the most important updates in the new museum is the opportunity the visitor will get to further knowledge on the symbolism of animal and human representations in gold, whose designs refer to spiritual powers or functions associated with animals or shamanic transformation processes.
The renovation will include roughly 789 gold, ceramic, and stone objects, some of which have never been on display before. Due to their design or symbolism, the extraordinary gold objects will be especially showcased to ensure visitors do not miss them as they tour the museum.
Technology for the Senses
The new Pre-Columbian Gold Museum will have a series of interactive resources to stimulate learning by engaging various senses.
These resources will allow the public to listen to indigenous narrations or travel to different parts of the universe represented in the Talamanca cone-shaped house, created by a large circular projection.
In order to bring to light the cultural diversity of the eight indigenous groups currently in Costa Rica, a documentary will be screened in a small audiovisual room dealing with a series of indigenous testimonials expressing their views on territoriality, language, tradition, family structure, education, productive and economic development, among other aspects of their daily life.
The feature will be complemented by replicas of pre-Columbian objects that can be seen and touched, as well as illustrations, infographics, videos on artisan techniques, and a totally new space dedicated to raising awareness on material heritage conservation.
The content and educational stations will be arrayed within a space displaying new museography geared at promoting a more seamless, forthright visit with varying levels of information according to the degree of detail a visitor may feel comfortable with. Additionally, it will put the architectural facility housing the Museums in display.
