The museum has three exhibition rooms that coincide with its three floors. The first floor is devoted to Sala de Conquista y Colonización, where sixteenth-century helmets, spurs, copper cooking pots, cannons, whips, yoke, and heavy iron chains are exhibited. Among the objects that belong to the Mesoamerican and Pre-Columbian cultures, the Palo Mata Negro (a stick used to destroy the black magic) should be not forgotten to see.

The first floor focuses also on the history of the fight for independence (Sala de Historia). The printing press that Carlos Manuel de Céspedes used to print the newspaper El Cubano Libre; the tailcoat and the vest of José Martí that he has worn on his first visit to Tampa in 1891 where Ignacio Agramonte made a speech about the organization of the Cuban Revolutionary Party; the dental case with double bottom that Dr. Zambrano used to hide the messages that he had to transport from New York to Manzanillo in 1984; the remains of the first wooden coffin of José Martí, and his bow tie that he was wearing when he was killed during the combat; a handmade torpedo produced by the mambises to sink the Spanish ships anchored at the mouth of the Cauto river during the War of Independence are objects that stand out among the exhibited material on this floor. Other exhibited materials include mambises’ bullet belts, cups, sandals and trousers, all handmade from natural products during the war. Visitors can also see the personal belongings of Antonio Maceo Grajales and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes.

On the second floor, paintings and sculptures, including some portraits of colonial Cubans and several paintings of the Cuba’s most prominent artists, are displayed (Sala de Artes). The fascinating collection of colonial paintings that date back to the last three centuries, as well as the huge collection of contemporary painting and sculpture, makes the museum one of the most important art galleries in Cuba.

On the basement objects and samples of the Egyptian archaeology are exposed (Sala de Arqueología). The substantial collection of Egyptian artefacts includes some fine jade and bluestone eagle-head idols, tapestries, and an Egyptian mummy as well. The Egyptian mummy that is the only Egypitian mummy existing in Cuba, was discovered by Emilio Bacardí on a trip to Egypt that he made with his wife in 1912. He went upon it in the home of a Muslim antiquarian in the ancient Thebas (at present day Luxer) that didn’t want it in his house any longer, although the mummy was in good condition and wrapped perfectly. After Emilio Bacardí Moreau bought the mummy, he had to leave it at the hotel and go to Cairo where he met the Chief of Antiquites and requested him to write to the Station Manager to take the mummy and send it directly to Cairo Museum, but he sent it to Cuba, passing through the customs as “cured meat”.  Later, the mummy was brought to Santiago de Cuba in 1912.

The mummy belongs to the body of a young woman, and according to the type of the mummification, it is estimated that she was a noble person or a priest that lived at the time of 18. Pharaonic dynasty, around 2000 years BC. This means that this woman had died about 4.000 years ago. Her well-preserved casket is on display nearby, covered in hieroglyphs and pictures. The pendant that the mummy wears represents a beetle, a sacred animal for the Egyptians. There are also two more mummies from Paracas of Peru donated to the museum in 1951.

Emilio Bacardí Moreau’s passion for his beloved Santiago de Cuba inspired him to collect documents, artworks, and artifacts for the benefit of future generations. First named the Santiago de Cuba Museum and Public Library, the museum was later given his name in honor of his tireless efforts to create it.