San Jose Museums

Visiting San Jose’s museums will open a window into the past, allowing you to better understand the country’s present. In addition to the insight you’ll gain, you will also be one of few people in the world to have seen pre-Columbian treasures up close. So fight the urge to book the first flight out of the city, and give San Jose a fighting chance. Like many before you, you’ll love what you find.

The National Museum (www.museocostarica.com) is the ideal place to begin your historical circuit. Housed in an army barracks used during the 1948 Civil War that is still riddled with old bullet holes, the building is visually representative of Costa Rica’s recent past. However, as you pass through the front gates, you’ll find yourself transported to a time of pre-Columbian peoples and their way of life. You’ll see reproductions of old villages, beautiful jewelry carved from jade, examples of gold artisanship, and intricately designed metates, a traditional grinding stone used throughout Central America. As you progress through the National Museum, you’ll find yourself walking through the past and into the present, ending with a wall of Costa Rica’s presidential portraits. Before you leave, head downstairs to the Secret Garden and get a close-up look at several of the country’s most prevalent butterfly species.
Next stop, the famous Fidel Tristan Jade Museum (portal.ins-cr.com/Social/MuseoJade/). Keep in mind that the Jade Museum has moved to a new location; while still housed in the INS building, it has moved from the penthouse to the bottom floor. As you wind your way through the museum’s new corridors, you will learn about the ancient stone that was worth more to pre-Columbian peoples than gold. Discover 1300 years of jade craftsmanship: necklaces, adornments, and beautiful animal carvings decorate the well-lit cases, and your interest will also be piqued by displays of the carving’s creators. Centuries-old terra cotta pottery, carved stones and metates, and even a bit of pre-Columbian gold jewelry are also on display, everything with bilingual Spanish-English labels and explanations.
Last on your San Jose museum circuit will be the famous Pre-Columbian Gold Museum (www.museosdelbancocentral.org/museo_del_oro/informacion_general.html) located beneath the popular Plaza de la Cultura gathering place. The Gold Museum has one of the largest pre-Columbian gold collections in the Americas, numbering more than 2,000 pieces and weighing more than 20,000 gold troy ounces. As you investigate the three museum levels, you’ll find that several other treasures await, including a history of Costa Rican money — from cacao seeds to today’s bills — and local wildlife displays. Learn about the incredibly detailed process of creating these amazing gold pieces, and at the end of your journey, enjoy a mini please-touch section of the museum.