An afternoon at the Casa del Alabado.
I had to work over the weekend, but was determined to do at least one touristy thing on Sunday. I chose to visit the Museo de Arte Precolombino Casa del Alabado, a Precolumbian Art Museum in the Centro Historico. It was close to the apartment and looked like it was visitable in an hour or two. Little did I know it’d turn out to be one of my favorite museums in the world.
The museum is housed in a colonial house built in the 17th century during the Spanish Colony. It’s on a side street just off the Plaza San Francisco, and so I crossed the Plaza Grande and the Plaza San Francisco en route. It was a grey day and I didn’t mind being indoors.
Entering the museum grounds, I passed a small cafe stand off to the left before arriving at the ticket counter on the far side of a courtyard. I had bought my ticket ahead of time and was handed my ticket and a book that explained the various artifacts in the museum. I was asked to give it back at the end of my tour.
Of the over 5,000 artifacts that belong in the collection, around 500 are displayed at any time. The museum is divided into a number of rooms and I started on the ground floor, following the arrows to the first floor and around. At the end, past a smaller courtyard in the back of the structure, you are led to the final room, a beautiful space where the back wall houses a lush greenhouse. It’s a stunning sight, especially after spending the day surrounded by grey buildings under grey skies.
After I had finished, I asked about tours; there were none available that day, but I was encouraged to reserve on another. I thanked the attendants and proceeded to the cafe. I bought a cake and an espresso and sat down to read the book, which I did from cover to cover. At five, the museum was closing. I returned the book and brought my empty cup and plate back up to the cafe counter. I thanked the staff and was let out the large wooden door back into the streets of Quito. The skies had not lightened, and I made my way home, back through the Plaza San Francisco, the Plaza Mayor, and back up the street to the loft to work. 🇪🇨