The country’s capital city, Tegucigalpa is also its largest city. There are parks, museums and galleries in the city and these provide tourists with interesting and entertaining things to do while vacationing here.
The National Art Gallery in Tegucigalpa – Honduras provides for an interesting as well as educational visit and it is one of the most highly recommended sights to check out in the city.
Location
The National Art Gallery in Tegucigalpa – Honduras is located at Plaza La Merced right in the downtown area of the city. It stands right next to the La Merced Church and the National Congress Building.
Getting There
You can reach the downtown area of Tegucigalpa via bus or taxi. Most buses link the neighborhoods around the city to the downtown area so getting to Plaza La Merced shouldn’t be a problem.
Once you get to the plaza, the National Art Gallery in Tegucigalpa – Honduras is just a short walk away.
What to See and Do
The National Art Gallery in Tegucigalpa – Honduras has exhibits dating as far back as the Paleolithic Age and Pre – Columbian times.
The exhibits are divided into five general categories: Paleolithic Cave Paintings and Sculptures, Pre – Columbian Stone Sculptures and Pottery, Religious Colonial Paintings, Religious Art n Silver and Contemporary Art.
At the Paleolithic Section, you can view life – size copies of various cave wall paintings and sculptures including monolithic stone sculptures that can be found from different parts of the country.
The Pre – Columbian Section exhibits relics that mostly belong to the ancient Mayan culture that date as far back as a thousand years ago; while at the Religious Colonial Section, you can view various paintings done by locals as well as natives of Central America that were once displayed in convents as well as churches during the 17th and 18th centuries.
At the Religious Art in Silver Section, there are a number of silverworks that were once used by the city’s Cathedral as well as its other Catholic churches.
Finally, at the top level of the museum are contemporary paintings by local artists including José Antonio Velázquez, Moisés Becerra and Benigno Gómez.
Brief History
The National Art Gallery in Tegucigalpa – Honduras is housed in a building that was constructed some time in the year 1654 to provide a place for a convent for the nuns of the Order of Nuestra Señora de la Merced.
The design of the building takes on the classic Spanish Colonial architectural style.
The building also served as a university and a school for boys before it was secured by FUNDARTE which is a foundation that aims to promote Honduran art to the general public.
The building was restored and re – conditioned in 1994 and then in 1996, the art gallery finally opened its doors to the public.
Cost
Entry fee to the National Art Gallery in Tegucigalpa – Honduras is approximately 60 HNL per person.
Other Information
The National Art Gallery in Tegucigalpa – Honduras is open from Mondays thru Saturdays, from 9 in the morning up to 4 in the afternoon. Sundays, it is open from 9 in the morning up to 1 in the afternoon.
