MUMA – Museo Missionario Indios

About the museum

The MUMA was born in 2011 from the transformation of the Museo degli Indios dell'Amazzonia, a missionary museum opened in Assisi in 1973 by Father Luciano Matarazzi with gifts from the Capuchin friars working in the Brazilian region of the Alto Solimões. To mark one hundred years of the presence of the Umbrian Capuchins in western Amazonia, the Provincia Serafica dell'Umbria chose to renew the museum and make it the first multimedia and interactive missionary museum in Europe.

The new display develops the route across several floors, with multimedia installations, dynamic maps, projections, virtual characters and large dioramas at 1:1 scale that recreate the rainforest. The ambient sounds are original, recorded in the Alto Solimões between 2006 and 2010, and 25 display cases present the best-preserved finds from the old ethnographic museum. Four study stations offer around 300 period photographs and some twenty film contributions.

The visit is designed as a journey rather than a traditional tour: the route tells the story of the mission, the relationship with the river and the forest, the culture of the indigenous Ticuna people and the origins of the Gospel brought by the friars, with a link to Assisi and to Saint Francis. The building has been renovated to make the museum accessible to everyone.

Highlights

• Route that is entirely multimedia and interactive
• Large dioramas of the Amazon rainforest at 1:1 scale
• History of the Capuchin friars' mission in the Alto Solimões
• Culture of the indigenous Ticuna people
• Free admission, including for groups

Permanent exhibition

• Museo multimediale dell'Alto Solimões – Route across several floors through the history of the mission, the river and the Amazon forest, Ticuna culture and the origins of the Capuchin presence.

Founded

2011

Operated by

Provincia Serafica Immacolata Concezione dei Frati Minori Cappuccini

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free, including for organised groups.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Hands-on stations

The multimedia and interactive route is also suitable for younger visitors; there is a children's guide to the museum.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The museum has a computer station for further study, a bookshop and a conference hall.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit