Juan B. Ambrosetti Museum of Ethnography
Encyclopedia
The Juan B. Ambrosetti Museum of Ethnography is an Argentine museum maintained by the University of Buenos Aires
School of Philosophy and Letters.
ward became the site of a homemade museum in 1866, when 14-year-old Francisco Moreno
and his father classified and mounted their extensive collection of fossils and artifacts, gathered in excursions along the property and surroundings. The younger Moreno organized his collection as a public display, and with funding from the Province of Buenos Aires, inaugurated the Anthropology and Ethnography Museum of Buenos Aires in 1879.
Featuring over 15,000 artifacts, the collection was ultimately transferred to the new La Plata Museum
in 1888. Explorations in the Gran Chaco
region conducted at the time by University of Buenos Aires
naturalist Juan Bautista Ambrosetti
led to an extensive, new collection, however, and in 1904, the latter inaugurated the University of Buenos Aires Museum of Ethnography
.
The museum became the first in Argentina to introduce guided excursion
s for its patrons, and travels along the Inca road system
resulted in the 1908 discovery of Pucará de Tilcara
, among the best-preserved ruins of settlements by Pre-Inca cultures in the area. Elaborate petroglyphs and over 3,000 other relics were recovered and catalogued in the following three years, and most were added to the collections of the Museum of Ethnography. The settlement itself was declared a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
in 2003.
Dr. Ambrosetti died in 1917, and its management was continued by his collaborators, Drs. Salvador Debenedetti
and Félix Outes
. The museum was relocated to its present location in the city's Montserrat
ward in 1927; the Italianate structure had been designed by Pedro Benoit
for the School of Law, and completed in 1878. Much of the museum's archaeology collections were reassigned to the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum
, which had a new building completed for the purpose, in 1947, and the institution beacme largely overshadowed. It was bolstered, however, by the 1958 creation of a Degree in Anthropology
by the University of Buenos Aires, and the institution was subsequently transferred to the university's School of Philosophy and Letters.
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
School of Philosophy and Letters.
Overview
An estate on an eight-hectare (20 acre) property in Buenos Aires' Nueva PompeyaNueva Pompeya
Nueva Pompeya is a neighbourhood in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located in the South side, it has long been one of the city's proletarian districts steeped in the tradition of tango and one where many of the first tangos were written and performed....
ward became the site of a homemade museum in 1866, when 14-year-old Francisco Moreno
Francisco Moreno
Francisco Pascacio Moreno was a prominent explorer and academic in Argentina, where he is usually referred to as Perito Moreno...
and his father classified and mounted their extensive collection of fossils and artifacts, gathered in excursions along the property and surroundings. The younger Moreno organized his collection as a public display, and with funding from the Province of Buenos Aires, inaugurated the Anthropology and Ethnography Museum of Buenos Aires in 1879.
Featuring over 15,000 artifacts, the collection was ultimately transferred to the new La Plata Museum
La Plata Museum
The La Plata Museum is a natural history museum in La Plata, Argentina.The building, 135 meters long, today houses 3 million fossils and relics , an amphitheatre, opened in 1992, and a 58,000-volume library, serving over 400 university researchers...
in 1888. Explorations in the Gran Chaco
Gran Chaco
The Gran Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region...
region conducted at the time by University of Buenos Aires
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
naturalist Juan Bautista Ambrosetti
Juan Bautista Ambrosetti
Juan Bautista Ambrosetti was an Argentine archaeologist, ethnographer and naturalist who helped pioneer anthropology in his country.-Life and work:...
led to an extensive, new collection, however, and in 1904, the latter inaugurated the University of Buenos Aires Museum of Ethnography
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
.
The museum became the first in Argentina to introduce guided excursion
Excursion
An excursion is a trip by a group of people, usually made for leisure, education, or physical purposes. It is often an adjunct to a longer journey or visit to a place, sometimes for other purposes....
s for its patrons, and travels along the Inca road system
Inca road system
The Inca road system was the most extensive and advanced transportation system in pre-Columbian South America. The network was based on two north-south roads with numerous branches. The best known portion of the road system is the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu...
resulted in the 1908 discovery of Pucará de Tilcara
Pucará de Tilcara
The Pucará de Tilcara is a pre-Inca fortification or pucará located on a hill just outside the small town of Tilcara, in the Argentine province of Jujuy. The location was strategically chosen to be easily defensible and to provide good views over a long stretch of the Quebrada de Humahuaca.The...
, among the best-preserved ruins of settlements by Pre-Inca cultures in the area. Elaborate petroglyphs and over 3,000 other relics were recovered and catalogued in the following three years, and most were added to the collections of the Museum of Ethnography. The settlement itself was declared a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 2003.
Dr. Ambrosetti died in 1917, and its management was continued by his collaborators, Drs. Salvador Debenedetti
Salvador Debenedetti
Salvador Santiago Lorenzo Debenedetti was an Argentine archaeologist, anthropologist and educator. He was involved in the restoration of Pucará de Tilcara, an ancient fortification in what today is Jujuy Province...
and Félix Outes
Félix Faustino Outes
Félix Faustino Outes was an Argentine anthropologist, archeologist and linguist.- Biography :Outes was born in Buenos Aires, and was educated at the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires and the University of Buenos Aires, graduating with a medical degree in 1899...
. The museum was relocated to its present location in the city's Montserrat
Montserrat, Buenos Aires
Monserrat is a neighbourhood located in the east of the Buenos Aires CBD. The district features some of the most important public buildings in Buenos Aires, including city hall, the city legislature, Casa Rosada, the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires and the Libertador Building , among...
ward in 1927; the Italianate structure had been designed by Pedro Benoit
Pedro Benoit
Pedro Benoit was an Argentine architect, engineer and urbanist best known for designing the layout of the city of La Plata.-Life and times:...
for the School of Law, and completed in 1878. Much of the museum's archaeology collections were reassigned to the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum
Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum
The Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum is a public museum located in the Caballito section of Buenos Aires, Argentina.-History and overview:...
, which had a new building completed for the purpose, in 1947, and the institution beacme largely overshadowed. It was bolstered, however, by the 1958 creation of a Degree in Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
by the University of Buenos Aires, and the institution was subsequently transferred to the university's School of Philosophy and Letters.