Felipe Orlando Pre-Columbian Art Museum

Below are details of the different rooms in which the Felipe Orlando Museum of Pre-Columbian Art in Benalmádena is distributed.
 

Rooms I and II: Mesoamerica. Ancient Mexico
 

Rooms I and II, dedicated to pieces belonging to Ancient Mexico, start their tour with the figurines of Pretty Women from the Preclassic period. Some are in the Tlatilco style (1500 BC – 500 AD) from Central Mexico. Others, on the other hand, are in the Chupícuaro style, likely accompanying the Pretty Women. Also on display are figures and later vessels from Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, and Guerrero, as well as several musical instruments.
 

Next, ancient art from the Gulf of Mexico (200 – 900 AD) is represented, corresponding to the area of El Tajín and Remojadas. This exhibition area concludes with the display of the Aztec culture of the late Postclassic period (900 – 1500 AD).

Rooms V and VI: Central Andes. Ancient Peru
 

Rooms V and VI exhibit pieces from ancient Peru (today Peru, Bolivia, and northern Chile). Here, the cultures of Moche, Lambayeque, and Chimú (north coast); Nasca (100 – 600 AD), Wari (600 – 1000 AD), Ica-Chincha (1100 – 1500 AD on the south coast); and Chancay (1000 – 1500 AD on the central coast) are represented.
 

In addition to showcasing the cultural diversity in ancient Peruvian civilization, the way of life (agriculture, trade, textile industry, personal adornments, and other objects related to funerary and religious customs) is also presented in these rooms.

Intermediate Area. Present-day Colombia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua
 

The Lower Central America section is represented by pieces from Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Most of the Nicaraguan collection is the work of the Chorotega and Nicarao people. These were originally from ancient Mexico and settled on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua and the northwest of Costa Rica.  
 

From the Northern Andes (present-day Ecuador and Colombia), several schematic female figurines that date back to the Valdivia culture (Ecuador) are displayed. These date from the period between 3200 to 1800 BC.

Local Archaeology
 

This area, dedicated to the archaeological finds of Benalmádena, is divided into three sections: prehistory, the pre-Roman period, and the Roman period.
 

- Prehistory in Benalmádena is linked to the Cueva del Toro, a sanctuary where cave paintings from the Solutrean period of the Upper Palaeolithic (18,000 years ago) are preserved. In the Neolithic (5th millennium), the population increased, and agriculture and livestock farming developed significantly. During this time, caves continued to be the usual dwellings, primarily the caves of the Botijos and the Zorrera.

- Around 1000 BC, the pre-Roman period began, with settlement in the valleys of the streams near the coastline. This occupation would continue continuously until the Roman period. From this period, pieces belonging to one of the most prominent settlements, the Cerro de la Era (9th – 8th centuries BC), are shown.

- Roman period. This historical era is the most well-known in Benalmádena, as fishing activities began to spread from the 1st century BC. Therefore, extensive settlements existed along the entire coastline. Examples represented here include the villa and salting factory of Torremuelle, Benalroma, and the oil and salting factory of Los Molinillos.