Museo National

Well, I was too sick with bronchitis to want to go anywhere over Semana Santa, so I hung around Bogota and got healthy. Once on the mend, I headed out to see some of the local sights. One day Aaron and I took a trip to the Museo National. Neither of us had been there so it seemed the perfect thing to do over Holy week. Actually I had been there before, just not on the inside! I went with some friends several months back to watch some Caribbean drummers. They were amazing! But this time, we went inside.

And we were in for a treat! There was an amazing collection of pre-Colombian artifacts laid out in chronological order so as to provide a virtual walk through Colombian history. I really enjoyed it.






They even had a display of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria!



And then there was this great story about an explorer, Bartolome, who after being captured by the natives of Guatemala, tried to win his release by using what information he had about an upcoming eclipse, thanks to the studies of Aristotele. The natives were nonplussed as they watched his 'prediection' come true. Then they sacrificed him as planned. It seems that the native people were well aware of the mysteries of the heavens. And they knew of the eclipse, even without the grace of Aristotle!



Here I am actually touching a meteorite!!!! Wow!



And of course, no museum in Colombia is complete without a few Botero's. Here are a couple I liked with a bird.