Museo de Prehistoria y Arqueología de Cantabria

About the museum

The Museo de Prehistoria y Arqueología de Cantabria (MUPAC) was founded on the initiative of Father Jesús Carballo, who in 1926 presented a first collection at the Instituto Santa Clara in Santander, opened by King Alfonso XIII. In 1941 the museum moved to its own premises in the building of the Diputación Regional, where it stayed until it closed in 2008 to relocate. The permanent exhibition opened at its present location in 2013.

The museum is on the ground floor of the Mercado del Este, in the centre of Santander, next to the Paseo de Pereda. The building was constructed between 1839 and 1842 to plans by A. Zabaleta, was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Asset of Cultural Interest) in 1986 and was renovated in 1998, with a large open hall in the basement. The museum occupies almost 2,000 m². It also has a research centre on Calle Ruiz de Alda, with a library, research and restoration laboratories and the museum's offices.

Its collections bring together remains from sites as well known as La Garma, El Castillo and Altamira, several of which are World Heritage Sites. Notable are the stone tools and, above all, the portable art carved in bone and antler, which is of high quality and abundant in the European context. The exhibition traces the evolution of ways of life in Cantabria from prehistory to the Middle Ages, with plenty of audiovisual and interactive resources.

Highlights

• Finds from the La Garma, El Castillo and Altamira caves
• Palaeolithic portable art carved in bone and antler
• Exhibition with audiovisual and interactive resources, scenography and digital labels
• Home in the Mercado del Este, a 19th-century building listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural
• Guided tours included in the admission

Permanent exhibition

• Exposición permanente: Prehistoria e Historia de Cantabria – Tour of the evolution of ways of life in Cantabria from the Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages, with pieces from the great Cantabrian caves, scenography and interactive media.

Founded

1926

Operated by

Gobierno de Cantabria

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Sundays from 17:00 to 20:00 (last entry at 19:30).

Visitors who buy tickets online have priority access. Free entry, with accreditation, for teachers, ICOM members, ANABAD and other associated bodies, friends of the MUPAC, journalists, the Asociación Cántabra de Artes Visuales, and the companion of a person with a disability who needs support; also for holders of the family multi-access card and the Pasaporte Cultura.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum has step-free access, a lift and an accessible service for people with reduced mobility.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in central Santander, in the Mercado del Este, next to the Paseo de Pereda and close to the Centro Botín.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit