Things To Do

Jade Museum

By Patrick Brunelle ⋅ November 22, 2009 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

This museum houses a collection of pre-Columbian art, and is the only museum displaying indigenous jade artwork in South or Central America. It is located on the 11th floor of the INS building (National Insurance Institute). The building is easy to locate but the museum entrance is off to the left side as you approach the main entrance.

If you plan of visiting this museum, you will not need to block an entire morning or afternoon. An hour to an hour and a half should be plenty for this visit. They recently refurbished this museum, making the overall atmosphere a pleasant one. Last time I went here the entrance was 500 colones, which is now less than an american dollar. Apart from what is probably the largest display of jade in the world, there are some interesting gold exhibits. Since it is located on the 11th floor, a feat that is rarely made by any building in Costa Rica (5 floors is considered a large building), you also get a rare view of the Central Valley from a fairly high location.

All in all, this is the museum that I find the least interesting when it comes to visiting museums in Costa Rica. I would rather visit the children´s museum or the National Museum of Costa Rican Art.