HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM
The idea to
establish an anthropology museum in Havana dates back to the
second half of the 19th century. The university professor and
remarkable bibliographer Antonio Bachiller y Morales persuaded
the Sociedad Económica Amigos del País (Economic
Society of Friends of the Country) about the promising future of
this science and its importance from the perspective of the
country, so that some archeological findings obtained by this
society were exhibited in the
Indigenous
Museum of Natural History of the Royal Academy of Physical and
Natural Medical Sciences of Havana. The
Economic Society of Friends of
the Country, the non-governmental institution, was established
by a group of illustrious habaneros in 1792 to solve the
problems that affected the development of industry, agriculture
and trade. It served
under different names until today. However, as the consequence
of the War of Independence against Spain in the last quarter of
the 19th century, the society and the museum could not receive
any financial support from the government, so that they ceased
in their activity.
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