Museo Canario facts for kids
The Museo Canario building in Vegueta
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| Established | 1879 |
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| Location | Las Palmas Gran Canaria Spain |
El Museo Canario (which means "The Canarian Museum" in English) is a museum in Las Palmas. This city is the capital of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. The museum focuses on the ancient history of the Canary Islands, especially the time before Europeans settled there.
History of the Museum
The museum was started in 1879 by a group of smart people. They wanted to learn more about the history of the Canary Islands. Two important people in this group were Dr. Gregorio Chil y Naranjo and Agustín Millares Torres.
In 1880, they opened a small museum and library. It was on the second floor of the Las Palmas City Hall. Their goal was to encourage people to study Canarian history. At that time, there were no universities or big schools for higher learning in Gran Canaria. So, the museum became very important for historical research on the island.
Archaeologists from the museum went on trips into the island's center. They collected old objects from the places where the Guanches used to live. The Guanches were the first people who lived in the Canary Islands before Europeans arrived.
Many of the museum's founders were interested in how people lived in the past. They had connections with famous French archaeologists.
Dr. Chil passed away in 1901. After his wife died in 1913, their home in the Vegueta area of Las Palmas was given to the museum. The museum's collection moved to this new building in 1923. However, it didn't open to the public until 1930. This delay happened because of money problems after World War I. The museum is still in Dr. Chil's old home today.
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum has a large collection of ancient objects. Most of these items are from the early people who lived on Gran Canaria. There are also some objects from other islands in the Canary Islands.
Some of the things you can see include:
- Old ceramic vessels (pots and containers made of clay).
- Religious idols (statues used for worship).
- Pintaderas (stamps used for decorating or marking things).
- Tools made from bone or wood.
- Animal skins and other remains.
El Museo Canario has the biggest collection of ancient objects in the Canary Islands. This makes it a very important place for studying the history of the islands before Europeans came. The newspaper El Mundo has called it "one of the best archaeological museums in Spain."
Today, the museum is a popular place for tourists to visit in Las Palmas. You can see ancient Canarian pottery, mummies (preserved bodies), and a copy of the Painted Cave, Galdar.
See also
In Spanish: El Museo Canario para niños
