Guayaquil Municipal Museum 🇪🇨

Located in the center of Guayaquil within the same building as the Municipal Library, the Guayaquil Municipal Museum (Museo Municipal de Guayaquil) is considered the most important museum in the city and one of the finest in Ecuador. Tracing its origins back to an industrial museum started by Pedro Carbo Noboa in 1863, it stands as the oldest museum in the country. You should visit to explore a rich collection of artifacts, objects, and historical items detailing Guayaquil’s unique past.

Inside, you will discover fascinating designated spaces, starting with the Pre-Hispanic Room, which showcases ceramic, metal, and stone handicrafts from the ancient Valdivia, Machalilla, and Chorrera cultures. Step into the Colonial Room to examine Spanish firearms, historic city layouts traced between 1170 and 1772, a Santo Domingo church diorama, and a scale model of the city based on an 1858 sketch. In the Religious Art Room, you can admire paintings from local churches and sacred sculptures crafted by colonial artists like Diego Robles.

Do not miss the Numismatic Room, which highlights coins and the traditional barter system, as well as the museum's rare collection of tsantsas, or shrunken heads. It offers an irreplaceable, deep look into Ecuadorian heritage.

What to see at Guayaquil Municipal Museum

• Pre-Hispanic ceramic, metal, and stone artifacts from ancient indigenous cultures
• Colonial Room featuring Spanish firearms, historic city layouts, and scale models
• Religious Art Room displaying local church paintings and sculptures by Diego Robles
• Numismatic Room exploring regional coins and the historic barter system
• Rare collection of traditional tsantsas, or shrunken heads

Visiting tips

Admission is completely free, but make sure to bring your passport as it is required for entry.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Daytime

How to get there & what’s nearby

Guayaquil Municipal Museum is easy to reach on Guayaquil’s public transport, and pairs naturally with Guayaquil Metropolitan Cathedral. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Guayaquil travel guide.