"Juan B. Ambrosetti" Ethnographic Museum

School of Philosophy and Letters - University of Buenos Aires Moreno 350
Tel. 345-8196
Open Wednesdays through Sundays from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Holidays: February

This museum is run by the School of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Buenos Aires, and its name honors the Argentine scientist from Entre Ríos who founded it in 1904. In its beginnings it was located at Viamonte 430, and in 1927 it was moved to Monserrat, through the efforts of Salvador Debenedetti - Ambrosetti´s disciple - and Mr. Coriolano Alberini. It was inaugurated on September 26. Its wealth came from several gifts that were distributed in four exhibition rooms devoted respectively to Argentine, Latin American and oriental ethnography, and South American anthropology. The Japanese altar, carved in wood and painted in gold, is one of its most valuable pieces. It belongs to the Shin Shu Buddhist sect, and was donated by Tomás Ambrosetti, the founder's father. There is a particularly interesting exhibit of a mummy from the Province of Salta kept inside a jar; the Arrecifes skull, from Adrián Quiroga´s collection, and pots pertaining to the Condor-huasi culture, from the Provinces of Catamarca and La Rioja, are the most ancient pieces, since they date back to the period comprised between 200 B. C. and 300 A.D. Objects from the Argentine north-western region, and Guaraní, Toba, Ona and Tehuelche archaeological pieces alternate with Chiriguano-Chané ceremonial masks and Mapuche funerary poles. From Andean cultures, pre-Incan (Nazca, Mochica, Chimú and Tiahuanaco) and Incan objects are interesting exhibits. Pottery, wickerwork wood and bone objects are also on show, together with collections such as the one assembled by Tomás Devoto (ethnographic material from Polynesia, Australia, Melanesia and Micronesia), in addition to Mayan and Aztecan archaeological objects.
The library, donated by Mrs. María E. Ambrosetti, is the most important of its kind in the country.