Iquitos

Iquitos offers different insights into Amazonian cultures and the city’s history, as well as opportunities for excursions into the rainforest. When planning your trip, it therefore helps to consider which discoveries interest you most: exhibits from Indigenous communities, reminders of the rubber boom, or experiences that can be arranged from the Plaza de Armas.

Amazonian cultures and city history

The Museo de Culturas Indígenas Amazónicas has five exhibition rooms. On display are Indigenous jewelry, utilitarian objects thousands of years old, and musical instruments from pre-Columbian times. Feather artworks and objects used in the religious ceremonies of Amazonian communities complement the collections. The different groups of objects invite visitors to explore the diverse forms of expression and everyday life of Indigenous communities. If you want to give your trip a cultural focus, this offers a different way to engage with the region than the history of the rubber boom.

You can encounter this history of the city at Casa Morey. The historic mansion was built at the beginning of the 20th century, during the region’s rubber boom. Today, it serves as a museum, with artifacts and exhibitions about the rubber era and the history of Iquitos. Casa Morey thus connects the story of a single building with a subject that shaped the region’s development. When choosing what to explore, you can compare this focus of the collection with the objects and cultural themes at the Museo de Culturas Indígenas Amazónicas.

Another historic building is Casa de Fierro, also known as Casa Eiffel or Casa de Hierro. This prefabricated iron structure is located in the historic center of Iquitos, between Avenues Próspero and Putumayo. Its name refers to its striking construction; it can also be viewed as a distinct aspect of the city’s architectural history. Together with Casa Morey, it offers a glimpse of different historical landmarks, although the two buildings do not have the same historical role.

Plaza de Armas and excursion destinations

Since it was established in 1764, the Plaza de Armas de Iquitos has been the city’s oldest and most important urban space. The present-day plaza was created on July 28, 1898. Concerts and handicraft markets are held there. For visitors, the square therefore brings together a long urban history with cultural events and markets; these are additional reasons to explore Iquitos, alongside its museums and historic buildings.

Excursions into the Amazon rainforest, to Indigenous communities, and to tributaries connected to the Amazon can be arranged from the Plaza de Armas. This offers a different way to plan your trip: you can focus on the city’s history and collections or include excursions into the surrounding Amazonian landscape among your interests. These destinations are quite distinct, ranging from the urban setting to communities, rainforest, and waterways.

For the broader travel overview: Iquitos.