Museums in the Americas: History, structure and strategies

Abstract

The general idea of museum - and, in particular, of the narrative course within the museums - that we have today is, fundamentally, the one we received from the nineteenth century. As socially and bureaucratically institutionalized structures, the museums have a short history of little more than two centuries. But the gestation of this idea began in far more remote times and was considerably long: it was a gradual process of accumulation of patrimony and predisposition of itineraries or narratives within certain cultural and/or religious structures, which are one of the legacies of the modern museum. An inheritance of almost devotional character, but also – and above all – of a structure. At one point in history, an architectural form and a narrative structure emerge as a way of displaying art. Knowing this process is important, because it allows us to understand many mechanisms underlying the form and activities of museums even today.