Museo de Arte Colonial in Antigua Guatemala opens two more galleries on 11 November 2026
The museum continues its phased reopening on its 90th anniversary: two galleries with nine paintings by Cristóbal de Villalpando and a Poor Clares relief open to visitors.
The Museo de Arte Colonial in Antigua Guatemala will continue its phased reopening on 11 November 2026, according to ad-hoc-news.de. Two galleries with works from the permanent collection open that day, as the museum marks its 90th anniversary. ad-hoc-news.de
ad-hoc-news.dead-hoc-news.deOpen source ↗
The second phase is the exhibition San Francisco de Asís: vida, visiones y legado. It includes nine paintings by Cristóbal de Villalpando and a relief of the Poor Clares. The works are currently at the Palacio Nacional de la Cultura and are to return to Antigua Guatemala for the display. The Guatemalan Ministry of Culture announced the opening after cleaning, repair and security work.
Phased return of the collection
The first stage began on 29 October. It is the exhibition 125 años de fe y devoción tras los pasos de Jesús de la Caída, which shows tunics, mantles, jewellery, standards and other objects of the Hermandad de Jesús Nazareno de la Caída. This show is to remain open until 22 November 2026.
After a closure of several months, the ministry took over the administration of the building in August. Part of the holdings had earlier been moved to the Palacio Nacional de la Cultura. More than 280 pieces are to return to the museum gradually. ad-hoc-news.de
ad-hoc-news.dead-hoc-news.deOpen source ↗ The reopening therefore covers individual rooms rather than the whole collection. The ministry describes the return as a technical and orderly process intended to protect the artworks.
The building and the collection
The museum occupies a building that housed the Real y Pontificia Universidad de San Carlos de Borromeo from 1768 to 1777. According to the Guatemalan cultural heritage information system, the museum was founded on 10 November 1936 and initially opened to the public with four halls.
The building has a central courtyard and four surrounding corridors. Masonry, stucco, padded pilasters and curved arches define its architecture. The collection comprises religious paintings and sculptures from the colonial era, including works by Tomás de Merlo and Cristóbal de Villalpando. The same description places the museum under the Directorate of Museums and Cultural Centres of the Ministry of Culture.
