What is the best plan for a rainy day? Museum day! Well, we don´t have many really rainy days on Gran Canaria all over the year, but you should still find some time to find out more about our interesting history. Did you know that the largest collection of Cro-Magnon skulls in the world can be found in the Canarian Museum in Las Palmas?
Today we will speak about 2 of our most known museums in Las Palmas and also about 1 small in the mountains that is quiet hidden and forgotten, but it will surprise you by its interesting testamony.
CANARIAN MUSEUM – located in the historial quarter of Vegueta in Las Palmas, it is easy to visit when you explore the medieval part of our capital. It was founded in 1879 and treats to explain to its visitors about the way of life of the pre-Hispanic inhabitants of Gran Canaria. On your walk through the museum you will admire ceramic vessels, idols, seals, models of the aboriginal settlements, instruments and tools that these people used to in their everyday life and clothing they used to wear.
However, the most captivating for you will probably be the part of the museum dedicated to the conservation of the corpse – fascinating “mummies” or “embalmed” corpses of the nobles together with another interesting anthropological remains that still represent a big mystery in the origin of the aboriginal people of the Canary islands – craneas of cro-magnoid features as well as other craneas of mediterranoid features.
Our secret tip: on Mondays and Wednesdays afternoons 17:00 – 20:00 the entrance is for free (otherwise 4 €)
HOUSE MUSEUM OF COLUMBUS – architectonic complex of medieval houses straight behind our Cathedral of Santa Ana. One of the houses used to be the residence of the governor and that is why it was possibly visited by Christopher Columbus during his first trip to America in 1492. The unique reconstruction of the complex made it one of the most emblematic and known buildings of our island. In contrast to the Canarian Museum, the house of Columbus museum displays the cartography and instruments for the navigation, and the evolution of Las Palmas after the conquest and its relationship with America. Apart of all that you will find here for example a reconstruction of a part of one of the columbus ships or archaeological collections of pre-Colombian ceramics.
Another reason to visit the House of Columbus is that you will be taken back in time as you will visit a beautiful traditional house whose history dates back to the end of the 15th centrury and your eyes will admire some of very appreciated paintings from 16th till the beginning of 20th centrury. A bit of funny touch will provide you 2 big cute exotic parrots in one of the patios of the house. Entrance fee to the museum is 4 €.
CAVE HOUSES MUSEUM IN ARTENARA – this museum is definitelly not one of the most visited and due to its location you would probably miss it but isn´t there something about searching for those small hidden secrets? People allways used to live in the caves in Gran Canaria. You may have heard or read that the aboriginal people and the first colonizers used to live in the caves and even nowadays people still enjoy their perfect isothermic qualities as a part of their modern houses. But have someone invited you in to really see it?
Here in the mountain village of Artenara, you will find a small hidden museum where you can visit several real old cave houses and see how the living in the caves is possible. Apart of this cave experience, you can make your wish in a cave church or have a lunch in a cave restaurant here, allways accompanied by amazing mountain views. Entrance to the cave museum is for free.
There are many more interesting museums and museum houses in Gran Canaria and some of them even with no entrance fee so we will probably return back to this topic in the future. Keep coming back for more!
