The Museo de Cultura Popular displays popular fashions in Costa Rica from the 19th century, and is located in the foothills of the Barva Volcano in Heredia Province.

The Museum of Popular Culture in Barva, Heredia, is a meeting place where regular events are scheduled, and food and culture are expounded upon by local residents. The museum is a living representation of the life and culture of the people of Costa Rica both past and present. The fashions from the intense colonial period of the 19th century give a glimpse into the way that people lived in that pivotal time.

Museo de Cultura Popular features a turret that is indicative of Spanish colonial influence in the area, but it has taken root in the community. One evidence of the influence that the turret has had is in the new mall Paseo de las Flores which features a similar styled turret at the entrance to the mall. The village of Santa Lucia de Barva, Heredia, has several buildings that can be traced back to the late 1800s, and the building where the museum is housed is dated to 1885.

The building of the Museum of Popular Culture was originally the farm house of Costa Rican President Alfredo Gonzalez Flores, and it has been preserved by a method known as Bahareque. Bahareque, Adobe or Daub is the construction method where mud, sticks and reeds are combines to form substance similar to concrete. This style of house is prolific in Central and South America, and is a synthesis of native building practices with European aesthetics.

The Popular Culture Museum of Heredia, Costa Rica, is only open on weekends from 10 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon. The cost of admission is $2.00, but certain events held near the museum may be free to attend. Guided tours can be scheduled at the Museo de Cultura Popular.

Location: Barva, Heredia, Costa Rica
Hours: 10 am-5 pm weekends only
Price: $2.00
Galleries: Antiques, 19th Century Fashion