Puyo Ethno-Archaeological Museum

He The Ethnoarchaeological Museum of the Pastaza Canton is A fundamental center for the preservation, documentation, and research of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the province. Administered by the Puyo Municipal Government, the museum offers an essential educational experience for understanding the complexity and historical richness of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Its collection is an invaluable testament to the coexistence of ancient traditions and contemporary Amazonian life.

Custodian of Amazonian Ethnography: The museum is the main documentation and exhibition center dedicated to the seven indigenous nationalities that make up the cultural diversity of Pastaza (Achuar, Andoas, Kichwa, Shiwiar, Shuar, Waorani, and Zápara).

 Thematic Axes of the Exhibition

The museum tour is structured into two main areas of great scientific and cultural value:

1. Ethnographic Area: Living Cultures of Pastaza

This section is dedicated to the exhibition of material elements from indigenous nationalities. Through authentic artifacts, crucial aspects of their daily, ritual, and social life are illustrated.

• Subsistence and Technology: Hunting tools (such as blowguns and spears), fishing utensils, and artifacts related to traditional agriculture.

• Clothing and Symbol: Clothing, headdresses and body ornaments that reflect the worldview and symbol system of each people.

• Ritual and Medicine: Objects related to ceremonial practices, shamanism and the use of medicinal plants from the jungle.

2. Archaeological Area: Pre-Hispanic Evidence

This exhibition presents evidence of the cultures that inhabited the Amazon region before the arrival of the colonizers. The collection includes:

• Pottery and Ceramics: Fragments and whole pieces that allow us to date and classify the settlement patterns and artistic skills of the pre-Hispanic groups of the Pastaza basin.

• Lithic: Stone tools that reflect the technologies and methods of interaction with the environment by the first inhabitants of the area.

4 reasons to visit the Ethnoarchaeological Museum of Puyo

Comprehensive Heritage: It offers a dual vision by combining the archeology (pre-Hispanic evidence) with the ethnography (contemporary cultures), providing a comprehensive historical understanding of the region.

Universal Access: Admission to the museum is gratuitousThis guarantees universal access to culture and education for the local community and visitors.

Authentic Collections: It displays a rich variety of authentic artifacts, including clothing, subsistence tools, and ritual objects, which directly reflect ancestral wisdom and the symbiotic relationship of the people with the rainforest.

Central Location: Its location within the municipal building in the heart of Puyo makes it an easily accessible cultural landmark for any visitor to the city.