Cuenca’s museums celebrate International Museum Day Sunday with special hours and presentations

Cuenca’s museums are extending their hours Sunday, May 18 in recognition of International Museum Day, with many of them hosting special events and guided tours of their collections.

The Remigio Crespo Toral Municipal Museum on Calle Larga has the best display of Cuenca history.

Among the museums celebrating the day are the Museum of Modern Art; Remigio Crespo Toral Municipal Museum; the Inter-American Center for Crafts and Popular Arts (CIDAP); the Pumapungo Museum and Archaeological Park; the Conceptas Monestery Museum; the University Museum of the University of Cuenca; the History of Medicine Museum; and the Toquilla Straw Hat Museum.

Included in the day’s events are the “Museums of the Barranco Route” along the Rio Tomebamba.

The route includes the University of Cuenca Museum on the university campus on 12 de Abril, open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with a presentation in the Barojo Theatre at 6 p.m.

The Museo Municipal de la Paja Toquilla y el Sombrero on Rafael María Arizaga, offers special presentations Sunday.

The Remigio Crespo Toral Municipal Museum, at Calle Larga 7-07 and Borrero, will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with a presentation in the Barojo Theatre at 3:30 p.m.

CIDAP, at Tres de Noviembre at the Francisco Sojos Jaramillo escalinata, will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with a special presentation at the museum at 11:30 a.m.

The History of Medicine Museum, at Av. 12 de Abril 7-55, will also be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

In addition, the city’s two largest museums, the Modern Art Museum on Mariscal Scure at the San Sebastian Plaza, and the Pumapungo Museum, on Calle Larga at Huayna Capac, are offering extended hours for viewing their permanent exhibitions.