"Agustín V. Gnecco" Provincial Historical Museum

Av. Rawson 621 South
Tel. 0264-4229638
Open Mondays through Fridays from 8 to 12:30 a.m.

This museum operates in an old school built in 1926 and shares the premises with the Museum of Fine Arts. It comprises seven halls, one of which is used for temporary exhibitions. It harbors over 100,000 pieces in addition to a library and an archive. An important part of the Gnecco collection (over 10.000 pieces) is kept at the Enrique Udaondo Museological Complex in the city of Luján, province of Buenos Aires. Amongst the large variety of exhibits, there is archaeological material from different parts of the provinces of San Juan and La Rioja; items related to 18th and 19th century fashion; boxes and large chests made of carved wood and covered with leather; local silverwork from the colonial and independence periods; a numismatic and philatelic collection; a primitive wine cellar and doors, railings, windows and other items from the 18th and 19th centuries that allow the reconstruction of San Juan's architectural history.

San Juan
San Juan, capital of the province of San Juan, was shaken by an earthquake in 1944 and was rebuilt on a modern design with a large number of parks and promenades. It lies 1,050km. away from the city of Buenos Aires along national routes No.7 (up to the city of San Luis) and 147. Another alternative is to travel up to Mendoza and then take route No.40 up to San Juan. The city harbors the natal homes of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento and Fray Justo Santa María de Oro. The province has important tourist attractions, the most traditional of which is known as the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley).