museum of anthropology and contemporary art

The juxtaposition of anthropological artefacts and modern art sounds strange but the current exhibition works well. Ancient printing techniques and methods are represented and explained and ancient clay printing wheels, rollers and blocks inspire modern works. A lovely modern, cool building and some beautiful and very old pieces well displayed. There is not a huge amount to see, but that is part of it's charm.It's free to enter and won't take up a significant chunk of your day so when you head toward or back from Cerro Santa Anna be sure to enjoy it rather than pass it by

Great space, everything well displayed. Interesting collections and worth a couple of hours visit. One of the best.

A beautiful building, on our day of visit, saturday no entrance fee. A good overvieuw of pre columbian art. when we visited the place there was an exposition of Louis Miranda a famous painter from Ecuador.

This excellent new-looking museum was a treat. The pre-Columbian material is fascinating and we were very impressed with the exhibition of contemporary local artists.

We stopped in before our trip to the Galapagos and then after. We loved the artist Luis Miranda who was displaying while we were there.

What seemed and looked to me to be a very interesting collection of both new and old art and artefacts was let down by the fact that none of the wall information, displays or text was in any language other than Spanish. I studied French and Latin at school and so struggled despite some of my Latin coming in useful.A real shame - I imagine many foreign visitors in town probably feel the same.

No fees charged, but would be worth a modest entry fee.The first three galleries displayed contemporary art from well established artists of the country. Many displays of artifacts from ancient times to include pottery and tools.The information desk employee was very helpful and helped us interpret some the the displays and translate the Spanish.

The anthropology/archaeology museum lured us to visit Guayaquil in the first place. As avocational archaeologists, we'd heard much about the comprehensive displays of indigenous artifacts. With a setting right on the water, viewed through floor to ceiling windows, the museum deserves kudos. Photography is not allowed, but would be challenging as most of these priceless artifacts are behind glass, the glare a problem at times. But the museum is gorgeous, and we also enjoyed the modern art exhibit. Be sure to visit the book store, if one values excellent catalogs on the ancient Ecuadorian artifacts.

we were staying a few blocks off the Malecon 2000, so most days, we spent at least a few minutes strolling the park. It was Sunday, so many shops weren't open and we found ourselves at the MAAC, Museo Antrpologico y Artes Contemporaneo. The first two galleries we visited had temporary exhibits that were a little light, thematically. The third was a retrospective of an Ecuadorian painter who trained in Rome, Florence, and a half dozen or so ecoles de arte in Europe and Ecuador. He gave full credit to drawing inspiration from cubist painters Braques, Picasso, as well as impressionists and expressionists. His work stands well with any other 20th century artist. The permanent collection gallery wasn't open, but the real star of the museum is the "10000 years of Ecuadorian Coastal Civilization." The artifacts, tools, documentation, as well as the exhibit designs is not only compelling, but esthetically quite pleasing. As we were about the only ones other than guards in the place, we could spend as much time as we wanted absorbing the rich history of the Pacific coastal peoples of Ecuador, as well as historical evidence of cultural influences between Ecuadorian coastal settlements and the Darien isthmus and Yucatan peninsula. We were so happy to have visited this treasure.

Wonderful collection of ancient pottery, artifacts, etc, from 4000 to 300 yrs ago, well displayed. Exhibits contemporary art changed regularly, we saw stunning paintings of Louis Miranda, over 50 from his lifes work magnificent. Museum is modern, loads of space restful.

I enjoyed the art and artifacts in less than an hour and then enjoyed the many offers of chocolate on hand. I happened to go to the museum when the cocoa bean vendors of Ecuador were having an exhibit there - LUCKY ME! I especially enjoyed seeing the paintings of scientists and doctors.

If you like contemporary arts and anthropology, you would enjoy this museum as much as we do.The museum is full of art works which are fun to browse through. It also share the history which is fun to watch

If you HAVE to find something to do to kill time in Guayaquil then you can wander here. The staff is poor. The collection is not traveller friendly. It's hot and musty throughout.There's not much of interest to see, however in a city of NOTHING TO DO OR SEE, this is about all you have to choose from.

The ancient cultures of the Ecuadorian Coast are often overshadowed by the dramatic cultures of the Andes. Regardless, the Pre-Colombian cultures of the Pacific Coast in Ecuador were just as lively and artistic. This museum has a large and extensive collection of ancient figures, pots, bowls, etc. from a variety of ancient coastal civilizations and tribes. Signage is lacking and some displays are incredibly cluttered by nonetheless it's a unique museum in Ecuador. Other exhibits offer contemporary art exhibitions from Ecuadorians and other Latin American artists.The building is air-conditioned providing relief from the heat and is located at the foot of Las PeñasNo entrance fee.

History section all in Spanish with lot of pottery. One post card exhibition. 2nd floor still closed. Recommended on a rainy day. There are a couple more museums close to the Cathedral. MeuterMedia