Last updated on .
While exploring the historic city center of the “White City” of Popayán, there are a few interesting museums to pop into. The only negative is that you have to be a Spanish speaker to get anything out of them.
Mosquera House Museum
The first museum we visited was the Mosquera House Museum (Casa Museo Mosquera). This was the former home of General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, a four-time president of Colombia in the 1800s. It features historical items from the personal collection of the general and his brother, Archbishop Manuel José Mosquera, along with some colonial art. Tickets are COP$10,000 for adults and COP$5,000 for children and include admission to the Natural History Museum and Pantheon of the Nobles (as of September 2024). The museum is open daily except Mondays.
Guillermo Valencia National Museum
Around the corner, we stopped into the Guillermo Valencia National Museum (Museo Nacional Guillermo Valencia). This beautiful home was built in the 19th century and later became property of poet, writer, and politician Guillermo Valencia Castillo. The museum is open daily except Mondays and admission is free (as of September 2023).
A mandatory guided tour of the home takes you through several rooms of the house with authentic furnishings, photos, and belongings of the Valencia family. It ends at a balcony with the family crypt and excellent views of the Humilladero Bridge (Puente del Humilladero).
Guillermo León Valencia House Museum
Valencia’s son, Guillermo León Valencia, was president of Colombia from 1962 to 1966. His home is also a museum. There are a couple rooms dedicated to his life and his tomb is in the courtyard. The Guillermo León Valencia House Museum (Casa Museo Guillermo León Valencia) is open daily except Mondays and admission is free (as of July 2024).
Other Museums
Two museums I didn’t visit are the Negret House Museum (Casa Museo Negret), featuring modern art by Popayán-born artist Édgar Negret Dueñas, and the Natural History Museum (Museo de Historia Natural), which supposedly is one of the best of its kind in Colombia. Admission to the Natural History Museum is COP$4,000 (as of September 2024) and it’s open daily except Mondays. The Negret House Museum is free (as of March 2024) and open daily.
