Renovation of Bolivia's national archaeology museum gives repatriated treasures pride of place

Bolivia’s Museo Nacional de Arqueología (Munarq) reopened in La Paz after a year-long renovation, unveiling a new permanent exhibition titled “Raíces eternas, legados vivos” (“Eternal Roots, Living Legacies”). The show presents 395 artefacts spanning more than 11,000 years, from around 10,000BC to the Inca period (around 1450), drawn from a national collection of more than 30,000 objects. Key highlights include “Saphi,” the mummified remains of a young girl believed to have lived in the 15th century in the Pacajes region and repatriated by the University of Michigan in 2019, displayed with grave goods such as small shoes, bracelets, and food offerings. Another centerpiece is an Andean stone figure (an “illa”) stolen in 1858 and returned by a Swiss museum in 2014, with curator Ruben Mamani emphasizing the exhibition’s focus on living continuities between pre-Hispanic traditions and present-day rituals like Todos Santos.

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