Portal de Turismo de Castilla y León

Dates

26 February to 31 March 2026

When?

Soon

Link

To know more

The Avila Museum's winter exhibit features a collection of traditional Philippine bladed weapons dating from the 19th century. These types of pieces, originating from the former colonial territories of European countries, form a significant part of museum collections, as they were of great interest to collectors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, enriching these holdings. The Avila Museum is no exception, possessing these artifacts primarily through the Collection of the Marquis of Benavites.

We present this collection of cultural assets on this occasion as an open reflection on this issue, highlighting, at the same time, the intrinsic ethnographic interest of the pieces, exponents of the traditional culture of the Philippine Islands, mainly from the island of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago.

The artifacts will be presented at a lecture entitled "The Philippines in Museums: The Museum of Avila," given by specialist Francisco Mellén Blanco, a member of the Spanish Association for Pacific Studies, who recently published the book "The Philippines in Spanish Museums" in 2025, which compiles collections of this type of weapon from various national museums and institutional collections. The lecture will take place at the Museum of Avila (Casa de los Deanes) on February 26, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.

The activity will be in person, with free admission until capacity is reached, and can also be followed via streaming, through the "Application for registration to reading clubs" channel.