Maputo Art Walking Tour
Maputo Art & Architecture Tour it’s a tour for those who are most interested in art and architecture the best option is the Art & architecture walking tour, where we can see the best of Maputo’s art and architecture – from Art deco buildings to the ones of Pancho Guedes; from chairs and planes made out of guns and bullets by Gonçalo Mabunda to the artesans in FEIMA.
Options
Maputo Art Walking Tour
What's included in Maputo Art Walking Tour
(Subject to Option Inclusions)Itinerary
Museu De Historia Natural de Maputo
1- Natural history Museum (starting point): located in the Praça Travessia do Zambeze, the museum used to be called Museu Álvaro de Castro and was built in 1931 – 1933 in neo – Manueline (a kind of Portuguese gothic style ) by the municipal engineer António Ribeiro de Mendonça. The original idea had been to build a school. Worth mentioning are the collection of elephant fetuses aged 1 month to 20 months and realistic wildlife scenes (e.g. lioness tearing a zebra carcass), both are to be found in the big room downstairs. Taxidermist Peão Lopes made them, and nowadays they seem a bit dusty and not the state of the art. The elephant fetuses are said to be result of land clearance south of Maputo in the early 20th century during which around 2000 elephants were killed. There are also two rooms of traditional African art. Around the building threre are the annexes, built by architect João José Tinoco, in 1965. They are decorated with two mural paintings by Malangatana, one was painted in 1977/79 in two phases and depicts yhe fight of man in nature; the other was painted in 1989. In the workshop annex (onto which the first mural is painted) is the atelier of famous Makonde pottery artist Reinata Sadimba who works here weekdays. It is one of the most exciting and authentic experiences in Maputo to see her at work. The prime minister of the time Pascoal Mocumbi and many others invited her to come to Maputo and work in the Museum.
Nucleo De Arte
Nucleo De arte: Artists association, school for many Mozambican artists. There is a really nice gallery and ateliers of the artists working there. The artists are always happy to let people see them working on their paintings and sculptures. Eugenio Mucavele, always calm and concentrated, is one of the most if not the most experienced artist we always meet when we go to Nucleo.
Vila Algarve
Vila Algarve: built in 1934 by architect Augusto da Silva Pinto and engineer Alfredo F. Soares in the “português suave” style for Joé dos Santos Rutino who was a photographer and had a stationary shop but more lucratively also held the lottery concession. He came from the Algarve region in Portugal. The elaborate hand painted tiles (azulejos) were produced by the Aleluia company. In 1952 the Portuguese secret police PIDE took over the building . in the basement was the interrogation chamber called Kula, which in Shangaan means, “where one us eaten up”. Franciso Langa or “Chico Feio” was the main torturer here. Langa suffered a violent death after independence in 1975 – he was cut to pieces in his house
Inclusions
- All Fees and Taxes
- Bottled water
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Wheelchair accessible
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Meet
Pickup and Dropoff
You will make your own way to the meeting points
Meeting Points
- In front Office the Natural History Museum