MUSAN: Museo de los Santos y Arte Nacional — Attraction in San Juan

I left utterly enamored with the history, art and culture of the Puerto Rican Santos! The collection is comprehensive and stunningly well curated for understanding even if one had never heard of saints. It gives a broad overview to the history and lore and then moves to artifacts grouped by families of artisans (which is in itself impressive as few organizations have the breadth of collection or knowledge to do so). Then the exhibit moves to the more recent moment of revitalization of the craft and the current artisans. There is also a small but spectacular collection of PR paintings unrelated to the santos. The guide/owner Richard and his colleague have an incredible and organic story of how they found their dedication and fascination with the collection which resonates deeply within every decision and display in the Museum! Though it is a newer museum, its conception and collections have been building literally and figuratively in the minds and homes of these scholars for decades! It...

A very impressive, historical collection of Santos from around the island. Richard was engaging and kind enough to teach us about their meanings and importance. We were also fortunate enough to get a behind the scenes look at the collection and space as it was being readied for full opening. I can’t wait for MUSAN to be open in full swing and to have the work of new artists shown alongside these important...

Friendly staff and wonderful environment. A small museum with a good collection of traditional Puerto Rican arts and crafts. Specializing in woodcarvings with cultural and religious themes. Commonly referred to as "Popular Religious Imagery" ranging frome 17th to 21st century. The only disadvantage being the limited parking space...