Quito, Ecuador: Mindalae Museum

Those who are wishing for a crash course on the culture, heritage and history of Ecuador could so worse than visiting the Mindalae Museum in downtown Quito. I'm not sure if such a place should be described as "cute," but you get the idea.

This is divided into six sections: Shamanism, Andean Worldview, Clothing, Ceramics, Natural Fibres and Amazon World. Visitors get a look at everyday life over time in the various parts of the country. One thing that was a little surprising is that many of the items are replicas and not original pieces. Maybe that's why the cost is only a few dollars.

Our group had a nice lunch there inside the museum, and then received a guided tour of the facility. Many of the people raided the gift shop afterwards. This is not overwhelming, but works nicely.

I think I can get you past the admission area for a short stay; read the subtitles if necessary: