Museo de las Americas

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Visit our Tour Destination: Colorado page to see the entire tour of the state’s Save America’s Treasures sites.

A school group visits Museo de las Americas.
Photo courtesy Museo de las Americas.

Museo de las Americas

861 Santa Fe Drive

Denver, CO

Website:  Museo de las Americas

The Treasure:  The collections at Museo de las Americas focus on the art, history, and culture of Latinos in the Americasfrom ancient times to the present.

Accessibility:  Museo de las Americasis open Tuesday through Friday from 10 to 5 and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5.

Background:  Colorado has a rich Latino culture and history. The very first Europeans to enter Colorado were Spanish conquistadors who included southern Colorado within a large Spanish province they called Santa Fe de Nuevo México. In the first half of the 19th century, Mexican influences dominated the emerging Colorado culture. City and town names throughout southern Coloradostand witness to their Spanish roots:  Cortez, Durango, Ignacio, Antonito, La Junta, Salida, Las Animas, and many others.

The settling of Denver and the northern towns by travelers from the east took place later, largely spurred by the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush of 1858. Initially, there was relatively little Latino influence in the fast-growing city of Denver. Even in the 1930s, census results showed a population that was only 2% Hispanic. But the population changed rapidly as the 20th century unfolded. Today, Denveris approximately one third Hispanic, the home of a vibrant Latino culture that is an inseparable part of the city’s identity.

Special exhibitions at Museo de las
Americas.  Photo courtesy Museo
de las Americas.

The Museo de las Americas was founded in 1991 to preserve, present, and promote the diversity of Latino Americano art and culture from ancient times to the present. It’s located in the heart of the Santa Fe Art District, centering a lively community with more than 40 art galleries as well as shops and restaurants.

The collections of the Museo de las Americasencompass over 4,000 objects, including pre-Columbian objects, beautiful Spanish Colonial art from the 17th and 18th centuries, and contemporary art. The museum maintains a busy schedule of special exhibits, events, and educational programs. Be sure to check their program calendar of upcoming events in advance of your visit to Denver.

Other Recommended Sites:  To get the big picture, explore the local neighborhood. On Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe website, there’s an easy-to-use event calendar with up-to-date information on activities at all the neighboring galleries, shops, and restaurants. Their First and Third Friday art walks are particularly popular.

Crafts at Museo de las Americas.
Photo courtesy Museo de las Americas.

Tour America's History Itinerary

Tuesday’s destination:  Old First National Bank of Telluride

© 2012 Lee Price