Museums

In 2000, artist Fernando Botero donated to Banco de la República a collection of 208 works of art, of which 123 are his own and 85 are by international artists. With this collection, the Banco de la República founded the Botero Museum, located in the La Candelaria neighborhood, in the historic center of Bogota. The museum is located in a colonial mansion that served as the city's Archbishopric until 1955. It was restored and adapted as a museum by the Banco de la República, following the precepts and curatorship of the master Botero himself.

Inside the Colonial Museum lives the patrimonial and cultural history of Colombia from works of private collection, formed during the process of disentailment of ecclesiastical property led by Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera in 1861. As a result of this measure, numerous objects expropriated from the Church passed into private hands and were later donated or acquired by different museums. Over time, the Colonial Museum's collections have grown in both number and diversity.

The Gold Museum, as part of the Cultural Network of the Banco de la República, is committed to preserving, researching, cataloging and disseminating its valuable archaeological collections of gold, ceramics, lithic and other materials, enriching Colombia's cultural heritage. The current exhibition presents more than 400 pieces including gold, ceramics, stone, textiles and other materials from Colombia's archaeological legacy. Through experiences of enjoyment, learning and inspiration, the museum seeks to strengthen the cultural identity of Colombians.

The oldest museum in Colombia is located in the city's International Center, founded in 1823 by the Congress of the Republic and open to the public since July 4, 1824. Dedicated to the preservation of the country's cultural values, it houses a patrimony of more than 2,500 works and objects, symbols of national history and heritage. In its calendar, the Museum offers temporary exhibitions of national and international history, art and archeology, as well as academic and cultural programming.

Known as MAMU, this museum presents representative works of Colombian, Latin American and universal art from different periods, with a modern infrastructure inaugurated in 2004, designed by architect Ricardo Triana Uribe. The museum, named in honor of Miguel Urrutia Montoya, offers educational exhibits and has an auditorium and a project room called El Parqueadero.

This large house museum, surrounded by ten hectares of gardens with centennial trees, transports visitors to an old farm in the savannah of Bogota. Originally owned by Mercedes Sierra de Pérez, who donated it to the city in 1921 along with funds to establish a museum, this place has ten rooms, a chapel and an exhibition of objects collected by Mercedes during her travels through the four continents. The collection includes glassware, glass, porcelain, textiles, ceramics and gold and silverware, along with a display of everyday life.

Known as MUSA, the Archaeological Museum is located in the historic house of the Marquis of San Jorge, built in the 18th century. Originally acquired by the Marquis in 1784, the house was enlarged and then renovated in the 20th century to house the sisters of the Order of the Adorers. Since 1972, it has served as the headquarters of the Fund for the Promotion of Culture and the Archaeological Museum.