Boruca’s Indian Community Museum Costa Rica

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Boruca is an example of a community who struggles to survive and maintain their traditions and customs, as its inhabitants have a rich artistic heritage which is reflected in their beautiful handmade creations. That is why the community decided to create the Boruca’s Indian Community Museum, a place where history merges with the Indian people and artistic development that they have achieved.

The history of the community museum has its beginnings more than 13 years ago and since then between various problems, they have celebrated major achievements, which has motivated them to continue their museum project. Today, weeks after completing two years of the reopening of the museum, the Association of Craftsmen and Artisans “La Flor” (the Flower), keeps working for their museum space to grow and increase the tissue between the threads of the past, present and future of their community, with which they expect to retain its cultural and natural heritage and to defend their lifestyle, knowledge, identity and values in pursuit of integral development.

The Boruca’s Indian Community Museum is an example of national and international museums of this type. The craft people held together and seek new solutions for changes in museum supplies. Advised by the Program of Regional and Community Museums, they are working on a redesign with its own vision of a new museum, to extend their horizons to integrate all the physical space of the community including cultural and natural values, to introduce new topics not yet integrated, to have an own collection, to collect and investigate their own local history and technological improvements to the procurement of computer equipment.

They are in pursuit of developing new projects to diversify the services they want to offer to the visitor, under a rural community tourism mode, where people can taste traditional foods, live in a local indigenous family home, participate in craft activities and enjoy tours of the lifestyle of the indigenous community of Boruca. The museum has been adapted to the present times, therefore, in compliance with Act 7600, it has made changes to be accessible for people with special needs. There is a space where they sell their handcrafts which fund their projects, maintain the building and pays the person who attends visitors. The entry has no charge but contributions are extremely helpful and important.

The museum seeks to highlight the ancestral construction techniques and natural fabric crafts, particularly woven with threads, vines and carved masks. In also aims to revitalize the traditional culture of Boruca, emphasizing the area’s traditional architecture. The museum’s building is an example of the kind of hut that was used in ancient and traditional Indian homes. The opening of the Boruca’s Indian Community Museum had support from the National Museum and the Central Bank museums, who supported the Indian community in several ways. The museum has a souvenir shop with many different types of Indian handicrafts produced by the same Borucas of the area.

When you have the opportunity to visit the Boruca’s Indian Community Museum, you’ll have the fortune to see a group of artisans weave on a daily basis their products of traditional crafts with determination and love, as well as the living history of a dream of having their own museum.

Address: Boruca’s Indian Territory, canton: Buenos Aires, province: Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
Boruca’s Indian Community Museum GPS Coordinates: 9.001622,-83.325855 (9°00’05.84″N, 83°19’33.08″W)
Boruca’s Indian Community Museum entrance GPS Coordinates: 9.001908,-83.322644 (9°00’06.87″N, 83°19’21.52″W)

Address map: Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO Boruca’s Indian Community Museum in Puntarenas, Costa Rica at Google Maps