Visitors to Colombia’s third largest city, Cali, will find that The Calima Gold Museum is a small but impressive resource for those interested in pre-Columbian history.
The one-room museum is home to more than 450 archaeological artifacts, including jewelry, ceramics, stones, wood carvings and shells from the three hunter-gatherer societies who were present in the southwest Valle del Cauca region: the Ilama, Yotoco, and Sonso.
“It is important that local people visit the museum, and foreigners as well,” said Cindy Andrea Valencia, a cultural analyst for the Central Bank of Colombia which houses the museum.
“Here they can see the cultural legacy that was left to us by the pre-Hispanic cultures and which has been overshadowed with the discovery of America in 1492,” she added.
The museum provides information about the customs, religion, technology and mythology of these societies and is an important education center for locals. Since it was founded in 1991 nearly all of the public schools in Valle del Cauca’s capital, Cali, have visited the site.
The museum also hosts rotating art exhibitions, seminars, courses, workshops, lectures, all of which are open to the public, and best of all, are free of charge.
Important Information
- Price: Free
- Hours: Tuesday-Friday: 9AM – 5PM, Saturday 10AM – 5PM
- Tours must be booked in advance
- Address: Calle 7 No. 4-69
- Phone: (572) 684 7754
