The Jorge Eliecer Gaitan Museum (aka Casa Museo Jorge Eliecer Gaitan) is a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

in Bogota,

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, dedicated to the life of assassinated politician

Jorge Eliecer Gaitan Jorge is a Spanish and Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος ('' Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker". The Latin form ''Georgius'' ...

History

The house

Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala Jorge is a Spanish Language, Spanish and Portuguese Language, Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος (''Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth ...

lived in from the beginning of the 1930s until the day of his murder on April 9, 1948, is located on Calle 42 No. 15 (42nd Street # 15), 52 of the Santa Teresita neighborhood in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

. It was also part of the design planned in 1928 for this area by the “Davila Holguin & Lievano” firm. It was declared as a National Monument by Decree 1265 in 1948, and has been managed by the

Universidad Nacional de Colombia The National University of Colombia () is a national public research university in Colombia, with general campuses in Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales and Palmira, and satellite campuses in Leticia, San Andrés, Arauca, Tumaco, and La Paz, Ces ...

since the year 2005

Exhibitions

This two-story museum has an area of 218 square meters. Each space gives information on how life was in a 1930s home located in one of Bogota's most developed neighborhoods. Each of the objects that belong to its collection tell the story of he who was called “The People’s Tribune” (Tribuno del pueblo), due to his everlasting struggle to help the poor classes within the Colombian society. From this museum, it is possible to approach the country's main historical events during the mid-Twentieth Century. Each visitor can interact with the tour guides by asking questions and sharing information, as is the case of those who go to know this leader in person.

Collections

The museum has Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala's personal library, including more than three thousand books in different languages. During the tour, visitors can learn about his political and social contributions, as well as daily life as is shown by his personal objects. Another part of the museum is the Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Complex, including the garden where this leader's body was “planted”. There, standing, and looking towards the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino in Santa Marta, with soil from every Colombian town, and having been showered with water from the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

s and the

Magdalena River The Magdalena River ( es, Río Magdalena, ; less commonly ) is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of ...

, the body rests since 1988, after having been buried within the house for 40 years.

Visitors

The visitors study give information on the opinions and interests of the Jorge Eliécer Gaitán House Museum, in relation to different activities held and future expectations. This study has been carried out since 2006 and is shared by the Claustro San Agustín. An important fact is that most visitors are between 11 and 25 years old, especially school and college students from different parts of the country. For visitors 70 years and above, the museum is a place where they can once again encounter the past, sharing experiences and memories with younger people.

References

1948 establishments in Colombia Museums established in 1948 Museums in Bogotá Historic house museums in South America Jorge Eliécer GaitánJorge Eliécer Gaitán University museums National University of Colombia {{Colombia-museum-stub