Santiago de Cuba - Museo Provincial Bacardi Moreau

The Museo Provincial Bacardi Moreau in Santiago de Cuba displays a broad range of items from prehistory, the time of the Spanish Conquest to the wars of independence and the Revolution, as well as artifacts collected from abroad. The collection was arranged by Emilio Bacardi Moreau, who also obtained most of the items himself. He even traveled to Egypt in 1912 to purchase a mummy for the museum that he hoped to open.

On display at the Museo Provincial Bacardi Moreau are artifacts pertaining to the Amerindians, the conquistadors, and the slave trade. Weapons and documents from the wars of independence, as well as personal items of national heroes such as Carlos Manuel Cespedes and Jose Marti can also be seen. Perhaps the most impressive portion of the museum is the art exhibit, featuring national and international artists. Some of the Cuban artists represented include Felipe Lopez Gonzalez, Juan Emilio Hernandez Giro, and Buena-ventura Martinez. Also of interest is a recreated Colonial street from Santiago de Cuba.

In the archeological section of the Museo Provincial Bacardi Moreau visitors will find Egyptian and Peruvian mummies, shrunken heads from the Amazon, as well as ceramics and other artifacts.

The museum, housed in an interesting 1929 neo-Classical building, is among the oldest museums in Cuba.