Belenes en Moncloa-Aravaca

Museo de América

Avenida de Los Reyes Católicos, 6

Permanent exhibition of the Museum of the Americas

From 1 December to 4 February

Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 9:30am to 3pm. Thursdays, continuous opening from 9:30am to 7pm. Sundays and public holidays, from 10am to 3pm. Closed on Mondays and on 24, 25 and 31 December and 6 January.

The Quito Nativity Scene of the Museum of the Americas

Quito's nativity scenes are one of the most emblematic manifestations of 18th-century Viceroyal art, when the tableaux set up in palaces and cloistered convents achieved great fame.

The influence of Spanish Baroque and European Rococo can be appreciated in the dynamic compositions, the delicacy and detail of the figures, and the brilliant polychromy.

The Quito nativity scene recounts the events of the Holy Scriptures in chronological order, combining the theological and the anecdotal. Beginning with the events leading up to the Nativity, it goes on to depict the Mystery of the Nativity, the Announcement to the Shepherds, many of them in the guise of the inhabitants of Quito, and the Three Kings’ Parade, presided over by the original figure of the “Angel of the Star”. It also includes other episodes, such as the Flight into Egypt and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Taking the opportunity to present some of its latest acquisitions, the Museum of the Americas evokes all these aspects in its nativity scene, as well as the decorations that were added in accordance with the beliefs and tastes of the population: jewellery, handicrafts, archaeological objects, and so on. The scenes are inspired by the rich architecture of the historic centre of Quito, declared a World Heritage Site in 1978.