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Corridor Cuyo > Province: Mendoza > Mendoza

Foundation Area Museum

Marcelo Sola

In the heart of the historical center of the Old City, on the Pedro del Castillo square, former Plaza de Armas and Plaza Mayor, stands the Museo del Área Fundacional (Foundation Area Museum), at the exact point where years ago the Cabildo de Mendoza (Town Council) used to work.

Inside the museum, you can visit an underground chamber containing archeological remains of the Cabildo -main administrative institution of the colonial government that was was destroyed by the earthquake of March 20, 1861- and the remains of the Town Slaughterhouse and the Fruit and Vegetables Market, which were built on the ruins of the first building.

The capitular rooms floors, made of creole tiles, and the sheet of asphalt and red tiles corresponding to the slaughterhouse and the fruit market, respectively, are clearly appreciated.

Among the objects exhibited, there are dioramas, photographs and scale models that recreate the history and evolution of the city, as well as objects extracted in situ, which date from the times of the devastating earthquake.

The sculptural collection of the museum is formed by paintings and sculptures by well-known local artists.

This museum provides permanent guided visits, at the tourists and school children's disposal. In this case, it is advisable to make a telephone reservation.