Amazon Museum Iquitos

The museum was created in 1986 and is located in a building built in 1863, declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation. Inside, you can see mural decoration, carved wood and a set of antique furniture. The collection of life-size fiberglass sculptures made by the artist Felipe Lettersten stands out, representing inhabitants of the main native communities of the Amazon in Peru, Brazil and Venezuela.

The Amazon Museum is located in the beautiful and warm city of Iquitos, in the province of Maynas, Loreto region. It was inaugurated in 1996, in a neoclassical style building dating from 1863, but which was remodeled at the end of the 20th century.

Address:

Jirón Morona 106 corner with Malecón Tarapacá

Hours:

Monday to Friday and the first Sunday of each month, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

History

This museum was created with the intention of making known the different peoples and ethnic groups that make up the Amazon, not only in Peru, but also in those neighboring countries that are lucky enough to have this territory in their jurisdiction.

Collection

The Amazon Museum includes in its collection an interesting range of statues that have been made of fiberglass. There are a total of 80 sculptures that represent members of the different Amazonian ethnic groups, with their special headdresses, and clothing and ornaments that differentiate them from each other.

In addition to the statues, the museum also has, among its pieces, different objects that have been donated or acquired in the different Amazonian communities; These allow us to learn not only about the beautiful craftsmanship of these men and women, but also about their worldview, based on the graphics that their ceramic pieces present, as well as the colors and types of headdresses of their ornaments, among others.

In the place it is also possible to find a collection of texts, which allow us to learn a little more about this culture from its myths. It is worth saying that the myths collected in the place are transcriptions of oral narratives that have been acquired in the different Amazonian communities, or told by their members.

This Museum shares its two-story building with the Military Museum of this region. The Military Museum, unlike the Amazon Museum, or perhaps complementing it, allows us to learn about passages from the history of the region; either through a painting or information provided by the entity. The photographs and paintings of the history of Iquitos, which are found in this museum, include images from the Rubber Boom Era, as well as an interesting collection of pieces that reveal the development of the different Amazonian towns.

The Museum, in addition to its exhibition halls and passageways where paintings and statues are displayed, also has an auditorium; this not only functions as a space for the presentation of conferences, talks or seminars of a cultural nature; it also acts as a room in which paintings are displayed, which allow the visitor to see the faces of those prefects who allowed the development of the region and its current state.

How to visit the museum?

Anyone who wants to visit this interesting museum located in the beautiful city of Iquitos, can do so by going to block 3 of the Malecón Tarapacá. The museum is open to the public from Monday to Saturday, from 9 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon, with a two-hour break from 12:30 pm. Entry to the museum is permitted after paying S/3.00 for a general ticket.

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