El Salvador
In
The United Kingdom and Ireland

The National Museum of Anthropology is an organisation dedicated to the study and preservation of the identity of this country through diverse activities related to archaeology and anthropology Its mission is to show the public that visits it, through its archaeological and anthropological investigations part o the identity of the Salvadorean culture.

The museum is divided into 5 permanent rooms. Each one shows 3 different eras: Pre-Hispanic, Colonial and Contemporary.

Introductory Room

This room displays an introduction to the science of anthropology and explains the concept of national identity.

Room of Human Settlements

This room gives you an insight of the first pre-Hispanic settlements in the country. It also walks you through the Spanish Conquest in America, and shows the cultural and social changes marked by this event.

Room of Agriculture

This room focuses on the agricultural techniques for the cultivation of indigo, cocoa and balsam used throughout the Colonial Era. It also shows the most contemporary techniques in the production of coffee, cotton and maize.

Room of Religion

This room shows a transformation in the religious beliefs of our inhabitants. Beginning with the adoration to deities by the pre colombian habitants, and going through the introduction to catholicism at the time of the colony, and finishing with the tolerance towards diverse religions that nowadays exist in the country.

Pre-Columbian America Room

This room is dedicated to the pre-Columbian cultures that lived in North, Central and South America.

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday.

From 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Address: Ave. La Revolución, Colonia San Benito. Frente a Feria Internacional.

Telephone: 2243-3927 o 2243-3750

Email: info@munaelsalvador.com

Link: MUNA

The "Museo de Arte Popular" was born in 2001 like an initiative to present the crafts and miniature pottery from Ilobasco. The objective of this Museum is to rescue the art and popular traditions of El Salvador, and expose them through an exhibition of more than 5.000 clay pieces. Each piece simulates national moments of the daily life, traditions, or emblematic places, with a luxury of detail difficult to simulate.

Nowadays miniatures are expressed in three different ways:

1. "Surprise Miniatures" are tiny figures covered with a clay made lid. Under these one can find a scenario portraying different thematic, going from religious acts, daily life, and up to erotic pottery.

2. The processes on the other hand relate a history by means of sequences of several surprises.

3. And finally, the pictures are simply scenes that reflect national landscapes, either in the field or the city.

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Saturday.

De 10:00 a.m. a 5:00 p.m.

Address: Avenida San José #125, Col. Centroamérica, San Salvador.

Telephone: 2274-5154

The Museum of Natural History was inaugurated on February 12^th, 1976. It exposes the natural resources resources El Salvador has, and it's purpose is to collaborate with the conservation of the nature and the wild life.

Here, one can find, valuable information on the biological diversity; information on rocks and minerals, palaeontology, ornithology, and botany. The museum is located within a natural enclosure that was previously coffee plantation, property of a Japanese man. The exhibition hall in fact is mounted within the old house where he once lived. His name was Saburo Hirao, and it was him who mounted the collection and afterwards donate it to the Salvadorean state. The garden of the museum is known as Park "Saburo Hirao" and iit's now a recreational area for teenagers.

Opening Hours: Wednesday to Sunday.

From: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Address: Final Calle Los Viveros, Parque Saburo Hirao, Colonia Nicaragua, San Salvador.

Telephone: 2270-9228

The "Museo de la Palabra y la Imagen" was conceived thanks to a citizen initiative that focused on trying to rescue the cultural and historical legacy of the country, in order to preserve it for future generations to be able to have a deeper understanding of our past.

The MUPI owns collections of photography, newspapers, videos, objects and publications on events that marked the history of the country. Political, social, and cultural movements are deeply detailed. For example, there is a collection of images regarding the indigenous rise of 1932 that caused thousands of farmers against the then president of the Republic. There are also scenes of the aftermath of the repression, the armed conflict of the 80's and a gallery with images of the late Monsignor Oscar Arnulfo Romero.

The museum is not entirely dedicated to remember the difficulties El Salvador has gone through, since the year the 2004 MUPI is the owner of the "Legado de Salarrué", the legacy of the celebrated and more important poets of El Salvador. It also has it's own photographic collections and manuscripts of artists and poets such as Claudia Lars and Roque Dalton.

In it's film library it has projects by the influential cinematographers Fernando Coto and Guillermo.

Address: 27 Ave. Norte, #1140, Col. La Esperanza, San Salvador.

Telephone: 2275-4870

Link: MUPI

Is a museum commemorating the antecedents and events of Salvadorean Civil War, which took place from approximately 1980 until 1992. The museum is located in Perquín, in the Morazán Department of El Salvador. This area was dominated during the war by the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN).

The museum includes an exhibit honouring the FMLN's radio network, "Radio Venceremos", as well as the weaponry used during the war years and a downed helicopter that had carried military leader Lt. Colonel Domingo Monterrosa Barrios, a leader of the Atlacatl Battalion. An additional outdoor exhibit shows the crater created by a 500-pound U.S.-made bomb, together with a disarmed example of such a bomb. Former members of the guerrilla staff the exhibits and answer guests' questions.

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Saturday

From 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Telephone: 2680-5545

The Military Museum of El Salvador is a tribute to the national army. Some of its important attractions are:

Room Natividad Méndez Ramos (or Operating Room for the Maintenance of Peace)

Here one may see the support the Salvadorean Armed Forces, especially the "Cuscatlán Battalion", has provided in Iraqi territory, in order to maintain peace and to carry out reconstruction work. It was named after the first Salvadorean fallen soldier on Iraqi territory.

Operating Room dedicated to Mine Cleaning

This room honour's the participation of Salvadorean soldiers with the United Nations (UN). One can see the participation the Salvadorean Armed Forces have had in operations of mine-clearing in countries like Kuwait, Nicaragua, and Liberia.

Pope Mobile

The museum also keeps the Pope Mobile used by Pope John Paul II when he visited El Salvador. It was built by the army and according to the Mexican press, it was one of the best ones ever built.

Opening Hours: From 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 m, and from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Address: ex-cuartel El Zapote, 10 Ave. Sur y Calle Capitán Alberto Sánchez, Barrio San Jacinto, San Salvador

Telephone: 2250-0000

"Museo Nacional de Aviacion" (Museum of Aviation)

Here one can find a great collection of airships battle and helicopters including old and modern prototypes.

The museum gathers excellent information of events that hit the country such as "the War of the 100 hours", the military campaign during the civil war (1982-1992); "Hurricane Mitch", and the earthquakes of 2001 also are documented here.

Within the premises, one can also appreciate a monument to national aviation, and also learn a little about air armament, uniforms, parachuting and for those true lovers of aviation, simulators.

Opening Hours: Wednesday to Sunday.

From: 09:00 to 12:00 a.m. and from 02:00 p.m. to 05:00 p.m.

Address: Blvd. del Ejército, Km. 9 ½, Base Aérea Militar Ilopango, Ilopango, San Salvador

Link: Museo Nacional de Aviacion

The " Museo de Arte" is one of the most important cultural centres in Central America. It first opened it's doors in the year 2003 with the purpose of creating a concious and encouraging the conservation and evaluating the brings back the artistic patrimony of El Salvador.

It's instalations are dispersed within 6 rooms dedicated to temporary exhibitions and one permanent "Great Room". In the temporary rooms works both national and international art is exposed. On the other hand, only national work is exhibit on the Great Room. In this one national works can be appreciated that date to date from mid century XIX.

Within it's premises one can find the "Monument to the Revolution".

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday

From: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Address: Final Ave. La Revolución, Col. San Benito, San Salvador

Telephone: 2243-6099

Link: MARTE

The Museum Tin Marin is a foundation that focuses on the development of children and resources for parents and teachers, exposing children's attitudes, point of views and opportunities to inspire the personal and socio-cultural development.

One of the objectives of the museum is to create a conscious in the children for them to get interested and care for our natural resources; it's approach for teaching is extremely interactive and didactic, teaching through games and graphic art.

On the other hand, the Museum spreads cultural aspects. It teaches children out the history of theater and allows their imagination to fly with the use of disguises, puppets and scripts.

Address: 6º 10º Calle Pte. entre Gimnasio Nacional y Parque Cuscatlán

Telephone: 2268-6900

Link: TIN MARIN