When you visit Old San Juan, you can spend a lot of time walking the streets, looking in the shops, and eating in the cafes. But there are two museums that offer excellent explorations into the history and art of Puerto Rico. They should be on the “to see” list for anyone who comes to San Juan.
Museo de las Americas
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| Cuartos de Ballaja |
The Museo de las Americas (Museum of the Americas) was founded in 1992 with the purpose of exploring the history and culture of the Americas, with a focus on Puerto Rico. It has five permanent galleries and run two or three special shows at any given time. The museum has had sections closed recently, as its building has been undergoing an extensive renovation and modernization project, but when I was there in Feb. 2025, the newly redone Hall of Indigenous People was now open.
The main feature of the Hall of Indigenous People is a set of life-size statues by Felipe Lettersten (1953-2003), a Swiss-Peruvian artist. Lettersten would travel throughout the Americas, and spend time with groups of native people. He would find a volunteer and create a full-body plaster cast of that person, and use that to make a bronze sculpture., one from every tribe he visited.
There were two excellent special exhibits on display. One was Encuentro de los Cuentos Oculos (Encounter with Hidden Tales). This is the latest in a series of shows created by an artists collective in Florida. This show was organized with the National Museum of Puerto Rican Art and Culture in Chicago. It presents works from artists on the island and on the mainland.
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| Rituales del Intersticio by Martin Garcia Rivera |
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| El Pájaro Líder by Rafael Rivera Rosa |
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| Oh, Nación Descarada by Jose Feliciano Bonilla |
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| Existencia Míistica by Juan Nieves Burgos |
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| Niños Magos by Rigoberto Torres |
The second was Betácoras Gráficas (Graphic Logs). This highlighted to works of three artists, Ada Rosa Rivera, Migdalia Umpierre, Yolanda Velázquez, who studied creating print making in Mexico at the same time. Together they founded Las Jornades del Grabando Puertorriqueño in 2003. Together they promote to creation and sale of printed art work.
Museo de San Juan
A few blocks away is the Museo de San Juan (San Juan Museum) where they were hosting an extensive show of lithographs and drawings by Pablo Picasso. There were more than 30 pieces on exhibit, covering the extent of his career, from his blue period in Barcelona through the 1970’s.
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| Bailarines |
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| Genevieve |
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| Untitled |
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| La Femme au Châle |
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| Mère et Enfant au Fichu |
While these shows may all be closed by this publication date, these museums always have wonderful exhibitions. So head up to the top of Old San Juan when you are in town.
Nuts and Bolts
- Museo de Las Americas - Cuartos de Ballaja, Calle Beneficencia, 2nd floor. The museum is open Wed- Fri 9:00 -12:00 and 1:00 - 4:00 Sat & Sun 11:00 - 4:00. Entrance fees are Adults $6/ Seniors and Children $4
- Museo de San Juan - 150 Calle Norzagaray. Open Wed - Sun 9:00 - 4:00. Entrance is free at all times.
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