The Suruma Museum, a new Archaeological Museum of Putumayo, opens its doors to the public.

Gran Tierra Energy in partnership with the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH) and Corpoamazonia is pleased to announce the opening of a new museum in Putumayo that will serve local communities as a permanent archaeological exhibition.

Located in the Amazon Experimental Center (CEA), the museum is an educational space to preserve and protect historical artifacts and shares the cultural diversity and history of the Putumayo department.

After more than 6 years of work, Gran Tierra Energy is proud to announce the inauguration of Suruma, a museum designed for Putumayo. This new permanent archaeological museum and conservation area is the result of a broad joint effort between the Colombian Institute of Anthropology (ICANH), an entity attached to the Ministry of Culture; Corpoamazonia, local communities, and Gran Tierra Energy. The museum is dedicated to the people of Putumayo and is an educational space to preserve historical artifacts and to showcase their history and culture.

The Museum is located in a conservation area for flora and fauna in the Amazon Experimental Center (CEA), a facility located at kilometer 8 of the Mocoa-Villagarzón road. The Museum has 15 permanent exhibitions distributed across two structures and a central area that displays the reconstruction of an archaeological excavation site.

Suruma, a museum that thinks of Putumayo, exhibits artifacts that were discovered by Gran Tierra Energy through its archaeological activities in Putumayo. These archaeological activities took more than four months of work and involved 25 archaeologists and 160 local field assistants who excavated an area of more than 3,300 square meters. The discovered artifacts include indigenous pottery, lithic artifacts (two carved projectile points), complete pottery pieces, archaeological features (charcoal and fire pits), and goldsmithing pieces. The museum also offers visitors interactive spaces and activities to experience the excavation process firsthand.

During the inauguration event, Manuel Buitrago, President and Country Manager of Gran Tierra Energy Colombia, commented: “Gran Tierra Energy is proud to support social and environmental projects carried out in partnership with our neighboring communities, and it is exciting to see, after years of joint work, the fruits of this materialize into real actions that we can return to the communities. Thanks to our
partners ICANH and Corpoamazonia, together we hope that this museum strengthens and preserves the history and culture of Putumayo for all its inhabitants and visitors.”.

For his part, the Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Heritage of the Ministry of Culture, José Ignacio Agote, specified that: “The Archaeological Museum of Putumayo will promote research and dissemination of the cultural manifestations of the department, and especially, about archaeological work carried out in the region. Thanks to this initiative, the people of Putumayo and, in general, Colombians will be able to enjoy a museum display of great value for the culture and heritage of the southern Colombian Amazon.”.

Nicolás Loaiza Díaz, general director of ICANH, highlighted in his speech the importance of this inter-institutional alliance: “thanks to the joint work between the private sector and public entities such as Corpoamazonia and ICANH, it has been possible to see this project materialized, which leads us to value the usefulness of this type of initiatives to enhance the development objectives proposed from the public sector and the way these positively impact the benefit of society.”.
Likewise, the General Director of the Corporation for Sustainable Development of the Southern Amazon CORPOAMAZONIA, Luis Alexander Mejía Bustos, expressed: “We built at the Amazon Experimental Center (CEA) of CORPOAMAZONIA, the first archaeological museum in the Putumayo department, and it is a shared responsibility with the Government, Mayors, and environmental organizations to ensure that this scenario allows us to unearth the past, to prospect a sustainable and desirable future. Thanks to the inter-institutional work that today makes it possible to materialize this project as a heritage of our territory in the Amazons.

With the opening of the Suruma Museum, local communities, Colombians, and tourists from the region will have the opportunity to learn more about Amazonian history and explore one of the most diverse and rich biodiversity areas in the entire world. This is an opportunity that no one should miss.