Rediscovering the Americas: the making of Latin American archaeological collections in Spanish national museums

José Lanzarote Guiral (1)

1 HiCSA - Histoire culturelle et sociale de l'art

This paper explores the gradual making and display of Latin American archaeological collections in Spanish national museums, and sets out to understand this process in the framework of the elaboration of national master narratives in Spain about the conquest and colonisation of the Americas. Two institutions in particular will be considered in this analysis: the National Archaeological Museum (Museo Arqueológico Nacional), established in 1867 and the Museum of the Americas (Museo de América), inaugurated in 1965 as an offspring of the former, both located in Madrid. By studying diachronically these museums in their political and intellectual context, I aim to reflect critically on the changing meaning and the growing significance endowed upon Latin American collections in Spain throughout the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries. As this paper sets out to demonstrate, the way these collections were displayed reflects directly the interpretations developed by historians and thinkers on Spain's former role on the American continent, as well as its aspirations in contemporary international relations. 298

Mots clés: anthropology; archaeology; Latin America; Madrid; national museums

Domaines: Histoire; Archéologie et Préhistoire; Héritage culturel et muséologie

José Lanzarote Guiral. Rediscovering the Americas: the making of Latin American archaeological collections in Spanish national museums. Linköping University Electronic Press; Linköpings universitet. Great Narratives of the Past Traditions and Revisions in National Museums: Conference Proceedings from EuNaMus; European National Museums: Identity Politics; the Uses of the Past and the European Citizen; Paris 28 June – 1 July & 25–26 November 2011, pp.297-315, 2012, Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings, 1650-3686; 1650-3740. ⟨hal-01444231⟩