An archaeological museum in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Collection management, cultural and educational mediation in the Archaeological Museum and Cultural Center of Orellana (Macco)

Abstract

April 2015, the Archaeological Museum and Cultural Center of Orellana (Macco), a public institution dedicated to the preservation of archaeological cultural heritage and cultural development in the province of Orellana, Ecuador, opened its doors in the city of El Coca. The museum preserves a collection of archaeological artifacts dated under the Napo Phase (1100- 1480 AD). Through the management of the collection, cultural mediation and cultural management programs, the Macco safeguards the cultural heritage, the pre-Columbian history of the Amazon and promotes new archaeological researches in the Napo River basin. This work collects the experiences of cultural mediation, museology and cultural management, developed by Macco, an institution committed to the conservation of the archaeological cultural heritage for social change and social development in the Ecuadorian Amazon region.