A very interesting place you should not miss while travelling in Quito

Feline pot from "La Tolita" Culture.  Photo credit: Gustavo Cabezas. 

You could spend hours trying to discover the history of the Colonial Centre of Quito through its walls and the interior of its houses.

But there is a house with a very special feature inside. I'm talking about "La Casa del Alabado" - it is a Pre-Columbian Art Museum that stands very close to San Francisco Church, on the Cuenca N1-41 street, between Bolivar and Rocafuerte streets.   

The museum is hosted in a Colonial house from 1671, on the doorway it is possible to read the inscription: "Praised be the holy soul, the façade of this house was finished in the year of the Lord 1671". Praised in spanish means "Alabado" and House: "Casa", where it comes the name: Casa del Alabado.

Monolith from Valdivia Culture. Photo credit: Gustavo Cabezas. 

The museum displays one of the best collections of Pre-Columbian artwork, more than 500 pieces are exhibited permanently. Some pottery from Ecuadorian cultures like Valdivia, Machalilla, Chorrera, Tolita, Jama- Coaque are possible to see along the visit.

Shaman ceramic. Photo credit: Gustavo Cabezas. 

Recommendations during your visit:

You can follow some of our recommendations to make much better your visit while there.

1. Inside of the museum is allow to take pictures with out flash. The first rooms are dark but gradually become clear. You can adjust the settings if Your camera has Manual Mode (M): ISO 2500 to 1600. Aperture 3.5 to 7.1 and speed 10 to 20.
2. There are not local guides available at the museum. So you could ask to your favorite travel agency to include this museum in your city tour and a guide with knowledge about archeology and history of Pre-Columbian cultures.
3. Also you could buy a guide book of the museum that comes in English and Spanish.

Shaman's table from Jama Coaque Culture. Photo credit Gustavo Cabezas