The National Museum, Part 2

I guess each blog entry has a limit, because I was unable to finish telling about The National Museum and had to start a new entry...

In the Pre-Columbian exhibit, there were many glass cases with tools, ceramic pottery, and items made of jade and gold. One entire room was devoted to gold. It was amazing to see the small intricate pieces, little tiny Polly Pocket-sized animals, as well as larger pieces used for jewelry. I can just imagine the thinking of the Spanish conquistadors when they saw the golden pieces! They just went nuts conquering one native group after another in their search for gold and precious metals to send back to Spain.

One of the glass cases was dedicated to "re-burials," a very interesting phenomenon that occurred around 500 B.C. A few months after a person died and the soft flesh was gone, they would dig up the remains, gather the bones into a neat stack about 12" x 12", include some wooden beads or jade pendant, wrap them in cloth and re-bury the remains. Archeologists excavated these neat little bundles, and two were on display at the museum.

We toured two homes that were used for the 1st and 2nd commandants of the fort and viewed photos of several with their families. Finally, we went through a gallery that had photos of Francisco Soto. I think that was his last name. He has been taking photos for many, many years and in fact, is still alive. I have never heard of him before, but I was very impressed with his work. There were many photos of everyday people at work, which perfectly captured their lives in just an instant. There were also photos of some of the Costa Rican governmental officials over the years. He took pictures of John F. Kennedy when he was here in 1963. A grouping of photos of tourists was very interesting, too. While I'm no expert on art or photography, I could still appreciate the genius of his work. Each photo "said" a lot!

There are several other museums in the same area of old, historic San Jose. I have been told the Gold Museum, Jade Museum and Children's Museum are very good and will try to see them soon.