Estanzuela Museum of Paleontology and Archaeology

The Estanzuela Museum of Paleontology and Archaeology (Spanish: Museo de Paleontologia y Arqueología de Estanzuela) is a museum located in Estanzuela, Guatemala. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of archeological remains of Eastern Guatemala.[1]

Estanzuela Museum of Paleontology and Archaeology
EstablishedJune 27, 1974 (1974-06-27)
LocationEstanzuela, Guatemala
Coordinates14.999171°N 89.576759°W / 14.999171; -89.576759
TypeArchaeology museum

History

The idea with the creation was with the intention of preserving different archeological artifacts in Guatemala after the archeological discoveries by the German Karl Theodor Sapper. One of the people who promoted the idea of the creation of the museum were David Vela and the director of the Museum of Natural History of Guatemala City, Jorge Ibarra.[2] In the 1970s, Leonel Sisniega Otero, director of the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism at the time, requested that paleontologists Roberto Woolfolk and Bryan Patterson recover archeological pieces. In 1974, the museum opened for the first time in the presence of President Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio.[3] In 2017, a virtual tour of the museum was added using an adapted version of Google Street View.[4]

Collections

The museum contains archaeological collections made of lithic and ceramics, as well as fossils from Eastern Guatemala.[3] Among the collection of fossils are the remains of armadillos, prehistoric horses, toxodonts, capybaras, sloths and mastodons.[5][6] The animal remains are skeletons dating back 150,000 years.[7] It is estimated that the museum has more than 5,000 archeological pieces.[8] The museum has exhibits related to the formation of the continents, the emergence of land animals and the formation of marine animals.[3] In addition, the museum has exhibits related to the migration and evolution of the animals that inhabited Guatemala.[9] Also in the museum there are short annotations of the findings made by Roberto Woolfolk.[10] The museum also has relics found in the archaeological site of the tomb of Guaytán.[11] The museum also contains pottery, ceramics, necklaces and plates of the Mayan civilization found in the Motagua River basin and the southern coast of Guatemala.[12]

References

  1. Letona, Otto (2007). "Museo de Paleontología en Estanzuela, Zacapa" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  2. InfantiaN (2020-09-08). "InfantiaN - Zacapa Museo de Paleontología Roberto Wookfolk: viaje a la prehistoria". InfantiaN (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  3. Benavente, Claudia (2016-07-20). "42 años del Museo de Paleontología en Estanzuela, Zacapa". Noticias Green (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  4. "Guatemala, el primer país centroamericano disponible en Google Street View". CNN (in Spanish). 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  5. Morales, Julio (2021-06-27). "Conmemoran 47 años de historia paleontológica en el Museo de Estanzuela". Agencia Guatemalteca de Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  6. IGER. Biología 10: 4.° Bachillerato - Grupo Polochic (in Spanish). IGER. ISBN 978-9929-614-64-2.
  7. IGER. Ciencias Sociales y Formación ciudadana 2.º Básico - IGER (in Spanish). IGER. ISBN 978-9929-614-59-8.
  8. Planet, Lonely; Fallon, Steve; Gleeson, Bridget; Harding, Paul; Hecht, John; Masters, Tom; Spurling, Tom; Vidgen, Lucas; Vorhees, Mara (2016-09-01). Lonely Planet Central America on a shoestring. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-78657-676-7.
  9. PL, Hermeroteca (2015-05-25). "Paleontología en Zacapa – Prensa Libre" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  10. Yelmo, Jarbin (2016-01-07). "Museo de Estanzuela, un viaje al pasado". Diario de Centro América (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  11. Santisteban, Luis (2019-06-24). "Museo de Paleontología y Arqueología de Estanzuela, Zacapa". Guiatemala.net. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  12. "Museo de Paleontología y arqueología Roberto Woolfolk Saravia: entre mastodontes y megaterios". xplorandoguatemala.com (in Spanish). 2015-06-15. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
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