Museo Histórico Cultural Juan Santamaría — Attraction in Alajuela

Couldn't believe this museum was free-of-charge.

I work in museums. It's clear the curator and staff care about this collection.

The permanent collection is focused on conflict, war, and the colonial men who established Costa Rica. Visitors will see the many weapons used in CR's fight against American agression. There are a few offerings made to women and indigenous people.

The upstairs galleries were full of beautiful modern art works in temporary exhibits. A few permanent exhibits include some examples of local naïve art and some smaller, beautiful scenes of the surrounding area.

A security guard gathered people to enjoy the rooftop. This was treated as a great curiosity by the crowd. The roof offers a few decent views of the town and distant mountains thru faux-ramparts. For me, the greatest feature were the many Crimson-fronted parakeets laughing, yelling, and flirting in the boughs of the neighbouring trees.

A small, liminal garden in the back of the museum offers a delightful unsettling tranquility, complete with sculptures lacking any descriptions or context, leading the mind thru a jungle of imagined pasts. This space is clearly well tended and cared about, but someone almost seems confused about what it is really...

Free entrance, you are not allowed to take photos inside the museum, I tagged along a tour group & went up to the rooftops .

Open 9-5

I didn’t know about William Walker some 19th Century. US private citizen a self proclaimed ‘ President ‘ of some Central American territories… anyway he fell out with some US backers ..but still invaded Costa Rica , ….Costa Rica & several other coalitions defeated him in a battle

Mr Walker surrendered at went home

He returned to invade again…was captured by the Royal Navy ( British) they handed him over to Honduras , was court marshalled & that was the end of him

Look him up … I’ve probably got some facts wrong 😉 Anyway that’s what the guide said , he also said most of the the rifle & cannons were...

The museum opens at 9 am. Two floors of interesting exhibits tell about the history, traditions and life of Costa Rica. Many exhibits about the time of the struggle for independence. An interesting hall that shows this in drawings. Separately there are weapons and clothes of warriors. Models of the most important historical battles. On the second floor there are exhibitions of contemporary artists, a gallery of students. You can also go up to the roof and look at the city from above. I recommend it to get to know the country better....