by Cristina Pérez
The halls of Ballajá glisten immaculately in the blinding Puerto Rican sunlight. The yellow walls stretch languorously, while the rhythm of the terracotta-colored arches enforces a rigid march of forms and shadows. The plaza down below sits quietly, echoing the murmur of the wind and the footsteps of the visitors. Nestled on the second floor, one of San Juan’s best-kept gems awaits your visit: a museum that summarizes the numerous American experiences from 1492 to our days.
The Museo de las Américas explores the incalculable depths of the American cultures. It is also one of those rare places where your heart skips a beat or two for the beauty and the horror of our history is presented in a soulful way. No space is wasted, and no item is without profound significance. From breathtaking African silverwork to Central American basketry to Spanish cannons, this Museums summarizes in a thoughtful but poignant manner the life in the Americas post-1492.
A refreshing surprise
In this museum you will find four permanent exhibitions dedicated to the four different groups of peoples that were affected during the colonization of the Americas: the native groups that inhabited the continent and Caribbean; the Europeans and their colonization efforts; the Africans; and the Criollos — the peoples who were born from that exchange. The dialogue that invariably emerges from the exhibitions is refreshing, to say the least.
The Museo de las Américas does not settle for the easy way out; on the contrary, this museum succeeds in getting off the beaten path (in museographic terms) and re-telling a more complex and humane story. For example, the ethnic groups chosen for the natives’ exhibition are 22 groups that still exist and have maintained their lifestyle up to this day. Moreover, the African Heritage exhibition doesn’t limit itself to the atrocities of slavery, but to the beauty of the African arts and crafts, the complex socio-political systems that emerged throughout the African continent, and the some of the numerous musical instruments that were created by the peoples of Africa.
Its exquisite collection and precise curatorial work are proof of their commitment to educating its visitors in the ways of the American peoples. According to the museum’s Executive Director, María Ángela López Vilella, one of her favorite exhibitions is Las Artes Populares en Las Américas, which covers the traditional arts and crafts of peoples throughout Central and South America. Here you will find anything from intricate mundillo lace; fantastical carnival costumes; dozens of wooden saints; a mock-up of a typical Puerto Rican house in the first half of the 20th century, among hundreds of other treasures from Canada and all the way to Tierra del Fuego in Argentina.
Moreover, the Museo de las Américas does an incredible job at keeping up with modern and contemporary art as well. Over the 25 years since its foundation, this museum has hosted more than 500 exhibitions on Iberoamerican art, and has featured artists such as Rafael Rivera Rosa, Nick Quijano, Elizabeth Robles, Antonio Martorell and José Alicea, among many others. Furthermore, the museum tends to document its most important exhibitions by publishing beautifully crafted art books.
Additionally, the Museum is keen on making an impact on the community as a whole, and it offers Domingo Familiares (which roughly translates to Family Sundays), where kids partake in art workshops, book readings and many other fun activities.
But what about Cuartel de Ballajá?
The objects in the museum’s collection aren’t the only ones with considerable historical value in Museo de las Américas: the building itself brims with history and must be considered as well. The Ballajá neighborhood, which sits in front of the Morro’s esplanade, had been thoroughly neglected during the 20th century, after a busy military-oriented life in the second half of the 1800s. Once filled with soldiers, Ballajá eventually turned into a ghost neighborhood. The Spanish and Puerto Rican regiments were displaced by the United States’ forces in 1898. Many business-owners had left Old San Juan for the newly developed areas of Santurce and Miramar, which were marketed as the symbols of progress and economic liberty. And Ballajá suffered it all: most of the buildings were dilapidated, its history buried, and its beauty forgotten.
Fortunately, the municipality of San Juan decided to restore Ballajá to its best form in 1992, just in time for the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ disembarkment in American lands. Don Ricardo Alegría, who was a prominent figure in the restauration of San Juan and the development of cultural programs in Puerto Rico, proposed to create a space where the visitors could learn more about the cultural exchange between the native populations, Europeans and Africans in the Americas. And thus, the Museo de las Américas came into existence.
Don’t hesitate to visit!
Museo de las Américas is a haunting, mesmerizing place where you can enjoy an afternoon with your friends or family, while learning more about the cultures that make up and enrich the American continent. The friendly guides (and the occasional ghost that apparently moves the objects when nobody’s looking) will attentively walk you through the exhibitions and tell you more about the exciting stories regarding every object. Come visit the Museo Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM; Saturdays from 10 AM to 5 PM; and Sundays from 12 PM to 5 PM.
Notes:
Mundillo: a very intricate and delicate type handmade bobbin of lace, mostly produced by Puerto Rican artisans.
Santería: According to the website www.aboutsanteria.com, Santería can be defined “ as an Afro-Cuban religion that originated in what is today Nigeria and Benin in West Africa. The word Santería comes from Spanish and loosely translates as devotion to the saints, or santos. Many practitioners of the Regla Lucumi refer to the Orichas, or the deities of the religion, as saints or “santos.””
