Pre-Columbian Gold Museum

Experiencia fantástica: With Greenway Nature Day Tours, we visited the “Pre-Columbian Gold Museum.” We learned, from our tour guide, Alberto (Beto) from Greenway Nature Day Tours, about the indigenous people from Costa Rica and how they made things out of gold. It was nice to see what the indigenous people made, I’m sure it took them along time to make these things that still exist today. I really enjoyed the video from the indigenous people and how some of the tribes have lost the indigenous language. This tour was very informative and let me know more about Costa Rica before Columbus/Spain had arrived.

Experiencia fantástica: Very cool museum in downturn that hast a vast collection of precolombian gold on display as well as coins from the history of Costa Rica

Experiencia positiva: I felt that while the museum was lovely, it was a little overpriced for tourists. There are three levels - the basement is the gold, the second level has a geography exhibit, and the main level currently has an exhibit about coins. I've been to other gold museums in Latin America and this one was relatively similar, though there were quite a lot of unique pieces that i admit i had never seen in other similar museums. The geographical exhibit was interesting but can be skipped through relatively quickly (i did appreciate all the signage in English). The coins exhibit will only be interesting to you if you're into the history of coins. Personally i liked it but did find it a little repetitive. Overall - good activity to do if you find yourself in downtown San Jose with some free time to kill but not necessarily a must see.

Experiencia fantástica: Quite an interesting and beautiful collection of jewelry and artifacts from before those greedy Europeans ravaged the land. I loved learning about the history of our coins and maps, all in one place. I do feel I need to mention that some of the text translations to English should have been proofread a bit more before being posted, and that the lettering displays on walls and glass require a bit more up keeping since some letters were missing altogether. Other than that I fully recommend nationals (¢2500 and free for 65+) and foreigners ($15) to stop by.

Experiencia fantástica: What a stunning museum! Large spacious galleries with artefacts beautifully presented. The gold art work was very thin, delicate and some very tiny ! Over 3 floors this museum really captures the essence of the role of gold in pre-Columbian history. I particularly adored the tiny figurines which were so delicately moulded. Great location right next to the theatre. Very easy to find !