City Museum (Quito) facts for kids

The City Museum (Museo de la Ciudad) is a cool museum in the old part of Quito, Ecuador. You can find it on Garcia Moreno Street, between Morales and Rocafuerte.

The outside of the City Museum.

The City Museum used to be a hospital called San Juan de Dios.

Discovering the City Museum

The City Museum opened its doors in 1998. It's located in the very old buildings that used to be the San Juan de Dios Hospital. These buildings are so important that UNESCO named them a Cultural World Heritage Site! They were carefully fixed up in 1995, using the same types of materials that were used when they were first built. You can still see amazing old stone columns, doorways, and stone floors in the courtyards.

What You Can Explore Inside

The museum tells the story of Quito, and also shares 400 years of history about the hospital itself. The old hospital buildings are huge, covering about 10,200 square meters. Inside, you'll find four main collections, 10 different rooms for showing exhibits, workshop areas, and offices. Everything is set up around four beautiful courtyards. Besides its regular exhibits, the museum also has special temporary shows that focus on different parts of life in Quito.

Special Treasures Returned

In July 2020, something exciting happened! A collection of 69 old objects was given back to Ecuador. These items had been taken from Ecuador by a diplomat from London in the 1960s. Now, they are proudly displayed at the museum for everyone to see and learn from. This collection includes Catholic art from when the Spanish arrived, and even older objects from before the Spanish came to America.

Permanent Exhibitions to See

One of the main exhibits takes you on a journey through the customs, people, and traditions of Quito. It shows how life changed from the 1500s all the way to the 1800s. Another exhibit focuses on the history of the hospital and displays items that belonged to a doctor who worked there long ago. There's also an exhibit called "A new social order breaks through: Quito nineteenth century," which explores how society changed in Quito during the 1800s.

Planning Your Visit

The City Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. If you have a disability, or are part of certain groups or a city employee, you can get in for free! For everyone else, there's a small fee to enter.

Images for kids

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  City Museum formerly San Juan de Dios Hospital

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  City Museum formerly San Juan de Dios Hospital

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  "Semiótica andina" Amaru Cholango. Installation at the City Museum, Quito, 2011

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  "Yo soy un árbol y tú también" Amaru Cholango. Installation at the City Museum, Quito, 2011

See also

In Spanish: Museo de la Ciudad (Quito) para niños