Urban exploration to the Old Museum of Anthropology

Urban Exploration Walk

This week I had to accompany my brother to a medical consultation and I remembered that in front of the health center was the anthropology museum, so I told him that while we waited for his turn we would go for an educational and cultural tour, I knew this museum because years ago I lived nearby, at that time it was already in decline, but it was still open to the public and what was my surprise when we arrived that it was closed and our cultural tour became an urban exploration.

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The most interesting thing is that this old museum is located in the heart of the city of Maracay, capital of the state of Aragua, Venezuela. One block from the cathedral and in front of the Girardot square, around it is the Granada foundation, which is the health center where my brother was seen and many stores, but I am almost sure that the young population of the city has no idea what the walls I will describe represent. At first glance it does look deteriorated, but it has always looked like that, even when it still functioned as a museum, but unfortunately in my country families and people do not have the habit or the culture of going to museums.

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My brother who has a special condition was disappointed when he realized it was closed, I told him not to be sad and that it would still be fun to explore, we crossed the street and started at the main entrance, the first view of a long corridor with old terracotta floors, walls that were once white and columns with circular frames, the doors all made of wood. At the first entrance there is a sign that says Government of Aragua State, sectorial secretary of culture, museum of anthropology and history and in the big red letters it says Museum of history.

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Now its name makes merit to history and anthropology 🤣, we went all around the museum I was looking for an opportunity to put my eye and my cell phone camera 😁 but my brother got nervous, because the employees who were doing maintenance to the square saw us with amazed faces, as if intrigued by what we were doing and looking for, who is interested in taking pictures of a dirty and abandoned place? I'm just an urban explorer and, although I don't do it often, I like the adrenaline rush; for a curious person, it's food.

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Smell of urine was the aroma that I perceived while windows of wood reinforced with iron bars appeared on the way, until we arrived to an iron door that allowed us to see inside, removing some cobwebs I put my cell phone and gave it Zoom, some objects of clay, bones and strange things were inside showcases, very opaque from dust, we could also see old maps and sculptures of very large stones.

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We continued the tour outside and saw many artisans and vendors who have made these spaces their working point, they were established long before the museum closed and at night these walls and worn floors are the shelter of homeless people, the smell and the dirty walls reaffirm it. That day I left with a strange feeling, a mixture of emotions between nostalgia, sadness and joy, for the exploration, the good thing is that my brother enjoyed it and me too.

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I don't think they will recover this space, which is another of those that have been lost in the last 25 years in my country. The architecture of this museum is very beautiful, I hope they decide to restore it and put it to use. I hope to find other places to show. Thanks for joining me, see you in the comments.

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