Two museums bring Bolivia into a pan-American architecture network

Two Bolivian museums have joined a continental network dedicated to preserving architecture as a record of history, identity and cultural change. The Juan Carlos Calderón Memorial Museum in La Paz and the Casa del Arquitecto, Museo del Pan in Sucre entered the Pan-American Architecture Museums Network, known as the MAPA Network.

The Bolivian Architects Association brought both institutions into the platform, which connects museums, archives and other spaces focused on architecture and culture. Their incorporation was announced at the network’s latest meeting, coordinated by the Cultural Mediation Advisory Office of the Pan-American Federation of Associations of Architects. Participants welcomed the new members, exchanged experiences and outlined actions to strengthen cooperation.

Created in 2020, the MAPA Network promotes the exchange of knowledge and good practices in architectural heritage research, preservation and outreach. With Bolivia’s participation, it now brings together 11 institutions from six countries. “It is an important step for the CAB to become part of this Pan-American Architecture Museums Network, which, under the auspices of the FPAA, seeks to make visible and share the experiences of these kinds of museums on our continent,” said Ernesto Urzagasti, president of the Bolivian Architects Association.

The Casa del Arquitecto, Museo del Pan in Sucre preserves the history of the Villa family’s traditional bakery, one of Bolivia’s most important from the 18th and 19th centuries into the early 20th century. Its collection includes machinery, tools, furniture and historical documents, including the family’s accounting books. The College of Architects of Chuquisaca restored and repurposed the building, which opened in November 2011 during Museum Night.

In La Paz, the Juan Carlos Calderón Memorial Museum displays drawings, plans, sculptures, models and objects collected by the renowned Bolivian architect. Located on the campus of the Private University of Bolivia, it also receives students, universities and academic institutions. The network’s 2026 plans include a common identity, new meeting spaces, a digital platform and the next MAPA Museums Forum, giving both museums new opportunities to share their conservation, research and educational work across the continent.

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It is an important step for the CAB to become part of this Pan-American Architecture Museums Network, which, under the auspices of the FPAA, seeks to make visible and share the experiences of these kinds of museums on our continent.