Tapajó pottery
Amazon culture.
RodrigoCruzatti — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gabriel Rodrigues Da Silva — CC BY-SA 4.0 · idobi — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jcornelius — CC BY-SA 4.0
The João Fona Museum in Santarém, Pará, occupies a building put up between 1853 and 1868 by the engineer Marcos Pereira, the third-oldest building in the city. Over the years it housed the municipal administration, the jury hall, the town council and the public jail. In 1990 work began on a new town hall, and the old building became the João Fona Cultural Centre, opened on 22 June 1991. It shows a wide range of archaeological pieces: fossil fish, remains of ancient shell mounds, whole pieces and fragments of Tapajó pottery from its different phases, and Indigenous crafts. The museum also holds newspapers, books and furniture from the old court and council, a collection of old coins and implements once used to punish enslaved people. The artist Laurimar Leal accompanies visitors with stories about the meaning and origin of each piece. It usually opens on weekdays, with free entry.
Amazon culture.
Rare pieces.
A lively tour.
Old centre of Santarém, Pará
The Tapajó pottery from its different phases and the region's archaeological finds.