Museo de las Américas

The Cuartel de Ballajá was built in 1854-1864 as barracks for Spanish troops and their families, a three-storey block around a huge courtyard, one of the last major buildings Spain put up in the Americas. It now holds the Museo de las Américas, founded in 1992 by Ricardo Alegría, whose permanent exhibitions cover the folk arts of the hemisphere, the indigenous peoples of the Americas, the African heritage that shaped the Caribbean, and the conquest and colonisation. The folk art collection is the strongest, with masks, textiles, ceramics and santos gathered across the continent. The building itself is worth the visit: the courtyard is enormous and largely empty, with the fort and the old city visible beyond the arcades.

Background

Museo de las Américas, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a multidisciplinary museum devoted to the arts, folklore, architecture and wider history of the Americas, with emphasis on Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1992 by Ricardo Enrique Alegría Gallardo, who taught at the Universidad de Puerto Rico and was also the founder of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. Alongside temporary shows it has four permanent exhibitions: The Popular Arts in the Americas, The African Heritage, The Indigenous of America, and Conquest and Colonization: Birth and Evolution of the Puerto Rican Nation. The museum occupies the former Ballajá Barracks, put up between 1854 and 1864 and among the last major works of architecture under Spanish rule on the island; the building was restored from 1990 to 1993.

Source: Wikipedia, "Museo de las Américas"

The main sights

• The folk art collection - masks, textiles and carving from across the Americas.
• The African heritage rooms - the Caribbean's West African inheritance.
• The indigenous exhibition - peoples of the hemisphere, including the Taíno.
• The Ballajá courtyard - the vast arcaded space the barracks are built around.

When to go

Year-round; the interior is cool and it is a good option in heat or rain. Cruise days fill Old San Juan but this museum stays quieter than the forts either side of it.

Things to know

The building is grand but partly underused, and the museum occupies only some of it. Labels are largely in Spanish with uneven English. Exhibitions rotate and the collection on show can be smaller than expected. It is a steep uphill walk from the waterfront.

Nearby

El Morro is next door; Casa Blanca and the cathedral are a short walk.

Key facts