A Collection, a Congress, an Association. Background of the Creation of a Museum and Library of the Indies in Madrid

Abstract

In the midst of the civil war the government of the Spanish Republic decided, in October 1937, to create in Madrid a Museum and Library of the Indies. Such enterprise was possible thanks to the donation made by Juan Larrea of his collection of Peruvian antiques. This article examines the context in which this cultural and scientific project was conceived. To this end, it presents the actors who were involved in this decision-making process and explains why the name “Indies” was given to the two new cultural institutions that were to be created, the seed of the current Museum of America. It also analyzes how this governmental decision of 1937 is the culmination of a series of initiatives adopted in the Republican years to promote the knowledge of American archaeology and ethnography in academic circles and in  Spanish society.