Cuenca, Ecuador, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, is home to a vibrant museum scene, where ancient civilisations and colonial legacies come to life.
From the Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes, showcasing millennia-old artefacts, to the Museo del Sombrero de Paja Toquilla, revealing the artistry of Panama hats, let’s explore the fabulous museums in Cuenca Ecuador.
Rooftop at Panama Hat Museum in Cuenca Ecuador
Map of Museums in Cuenca Ecuador
Handy Links for exploring Cuenca Ecuador
Top Museums in Cuenca Ecuador
Museum of Aboriginal Cultures (Museo de las Culturas Aborigenes)
The Museum of Aboriginal Cultures was one of my favourite museums in Cuenca Ecuador. The Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes exhibits over 5,000 artefacts from over 20 pre-Columbian Ecuadorian cultures, dating back to 500 BC. That’s quite a collection!
Language of museum information: Upon arrival, you will receive books in English, French, and Spanish, that guide you through the exhibition, offering detailed insights into the archaeological pieces. The museum provides ample seating areas to sit and soak up the information in the guidebook.
|| Museum of Aboriginal Cultures: Monday-Friday 10:00-18.00, Saturday 10:00-13.00 | $4 to Enter
Large urns from Pillaro-Cosanga in Museo de las Culturas Aborigenes
Pumapungo Museum (Museo Pumapungo)
One of the most prolific museums in Cuenca Ecuador, Museo Pumapungo displays over 5000 artefacts from indigenous groups throughout Ecuadorian history. This includes ceramic, textile, and metal objects, as well as organic remains and archaeological sites spanning Pre-Hispanic, Colonial, and Republican periods.
Also, on the ground floor is a gallery of paintings by Ecuadorian artists from the 1800s onwards depicting scenes from around the country such as Chimborazo by Rafael Salas Oquendo.
Behind the museum, explore the extensive foundations of buildings believed to be part of the old Incan city of Tomebamba. The Archaeological Park is the largest Inca ruins south of Ingapirca.
Pottery from Jama-Coaque culture in Pumapungo Museum
The 2nd floor of Museo Pumapungo showcases the ethnography of different regions and cultures in Ecuador including traditional festivals and ways of life. Having travelled through many of these provinces, I found the exhibition absorbing.
The exhibition covered the rites and rituals of Shamans and the intricacies of the Shuar culture, who live in the southern Ecuadorian and northern Peruvian Amazon. The shrunken head of enemy tribes on display is a chilling sight – the rite of the “Tsantsa” for the Shuar is an attempt to reestablish the cosmic cycle.
Language of museum information: Mainly in Spanish, although some information on the 2nd floor and the archaeological park is given in Spanish and English.
|| Pumapungo Museum: Monday-Friday 8:00-17.30, Saturday-Sunday 10:00-16.00 | Free Entry
Shrunken head (Tsantsa) and Tsánkram holding a shrunken head
Panama Hat Museum (Museo Del Sombrero De Paja Toquilla)
Did you know that the iconic Panama Hat originated in Cuenca Ecuador during the 17th century? It gained popularity when worn by workers on the Panama Canal to protect them from the heat. Known locally as ‘sombrero de paja toquillas’ or ‘toquillas’ for short, the hat was misnamed as international exports from Panama grew.
The traditional art of hand-weaving toquilla hats remains a symbol of Ecuadorian craftsmanship and was recognised on the UNESCO list for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The Museo del Sombrero de Paja Toquilla celebrates the artistry of Panama hats. The museum is small, it offers lively atmosphere as you can see the creators at work moulding the hats and stitching the bands with skill.
The shop has all the colours and types of Panama Hats you could ever wish for. If you don’t have space in your bag for a toquilla, visit the café to absorb stunning views over the Tomebamba River.
|| Panama Hat Museum: Monday-Thursday 8:00-17.30 (closed 12.30-14.30) to Saturday 8:30-12.30 | Free Entry
Friendly guy at Panama Hat Museum in Cuenca Ecuador
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Museum of Religious Art (Museo de Arte Religioso, Catedral Antigua)
The Museum of Religious Art in Cuenca, Ecuador, is housed in Iglesia del Sagrario, also known as the Old Cathedral (Catedral Antigua). It was the first parish in the city, with construction beginning in the same year the Spanish founded Cuenca in 1557.
The Sagario Church was built with traditional construction techniques and materials such as adobe and Inca stone. Its modest white exterior with three naves and bell towers is an eclectic mix of baroque and neoclassical. The Old Church sits on the opposite side of Calderón Park to the New Cathedral which was marked as completed in 1975 after 100 years in construction.
Now an important Cuenca museum, the Sagario Church, houses permanent exhibits with religious sculptures and original 16th-century paintings that hold considerable importance to the city.
Language of museum information: Fully inclusive as they are written in Spanish, English and Kichwa.
|| Convent of the Immaculate Conception Museum: Monday-Friday 9:00-17.o0, Saturday-Sunday 09:00-14.00 | $2.50 to Enter
Altar at Museo de Arte Religioso
Prohibido Centro Cultural
Prohibido Centro Cultural is a controversial gallery founded in 1996 by artist Eduardo Moscoso. The centre is a unique space for national and international artists to display unconventional and avant-garde art, and hold alternative events, conferences, workshops and musical performances.
Eduardo Moscoso was born in the Amazonian province of Morona Santiago. He studied arts at the Remigio Crespo Toral School of the University of Cuenca. After graduating, he became a professor of sculpture, exhibiting his work in Cuenca. He later resigned to travel and learn about other cultures, holding exhibitions in Colombia, Venezuela, Spain, Luxembourg, and Belgium.
Eduardo Moscoso faced resistance in Cuenca, a religious and conservative city. This led him to realise his dream of creating a space to support marginalised and underground cultures which allowed artists to freely exhibit their works without limitations.
The alternative cultural expression is evident when you walk around the gallery, with surreal sculptures, and anti-establishment paintings. There is a coffin in the ground and an installation with a fake electrical chair which I had to try out for size.
Language of museum information: For a fascinating tour that brings the vision of Prohibido Cultural Center to life, ask Franco, Eduardo’s son and artist, to show you around – he speaks great English!
|| Prohibido Centro Cultural Museum: Monday-Saturday 9:00-21.00, Sunday 9:00-14.00 | $2 to Enter
Painting in Prohibido Centro Cultural Museum
Modern Art Museum of Cuenca (Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno)
The Modern Art Museum of Cuenca Ecuador, once the House of Temperance, dates back to the late 19th century, with a varied history of serving as a rehabilitation centre for alcoholics, a prison, a school, a home for the elderly, and aid for low-income mothers. Saved from demolition in the 1970s, it was restored into a museum by Hernan Crespo and Luis Crespo Ordoñez.
The Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno, located on Plaza de San Sebastián, hosts a diverse collection of contemporary and traditional works by Ecuadorian and Latin American artists, as well as temporary exhibits.
The courtyard gardens of the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno are relaxed with murals and sculptures on display. While I found my visit enjoyable, opinions within my group varied.
|| Modern Art Museum of Cuenca: Monday-Friday 9:00-16.30, Saturday-Sunday 9:00-14.30 | Free Entry
Museum of Modern Art in Cuenca Ecuador
Remigio Crespo Toral Museum (Museo Remigio Crespo Toral)
Casa Museo Remigio Crespo Toral, once inhabited by poet and diplomat Remigio Crespo Toral (1860-1939), is a historic house that is thought to have been built between 1910 and 1917.
The exterior features an exposed brick facade, representing the stylish Cuenca architecture of its era. The rear of this historic residence, where you can find the Cafe del Museo, looks out over the Rio Tomebamba.
Inside, the building spans five levels, each meticulously restored to showcase Remigio Crespo Toral’s extensive collection of ancient artefacts, jewellery, original furniture, Colonial religious art, and a gallery of photographs depicting the Crespo Toral family.
Language of museum information: Presented exclusively in Spanish. For non-Spanish speakers, having a translation app on hand is recommended to fully understand the exhibits and historical context provided.
|| Remigio Crespo Toral Museum: Monday-Friday 10:00-16.00, Saturday-Sunday 10:00-13.00 | Free Entry
Museo Remigio Crespo Tora
History of Medicine Museum (Museo de Historia de la Medicina)
The Guillermo Aguilar Maldonado Museum of History of Medicine in Cuenca, housed in the former St. Vincent of Paul Church and Hospital which was the city’s first health institution run by Social Welfare.
With over 1,200 artefacts in 14 rooms, it presents a comprehensive history of medicine through old devices used by healthcare practitioners and patients. Ranging from pre-Hispanic to republican eras, the collection includes equipment, instruments, and materials. Some of the displays are a little creepy such as the skeleton of an 8-month-old baby, just saying!
Restored in 1986, the museum now occupies the complex, with the church serving as an auditorium. Its underground crypt, with 30 funeral vaults, echoes the tradition of burying the dead within church walls.
Language of museum information: Mostly written in Spanish apart from a few recent additions.
|| Museo de Historia de la Medicina: Monday-Friday 8:30-17.00 | Free Entry
Exterior of Museo de Historia de la Medicina
PIN to see the best Museums in Cuenca Ecuador
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