Going to jail isn’t everyone’s idea of a great vacation. But in Latin America, six former prisons now serve as museums, offering a unique venue to explore everything from modern art to national history, from live music to torture and incarceration (yeah, it may sound strange, but it can be very interesting, and an interesting alternative to visiting the same old boring tourist attractions — if you’ve visited Alcatraz in San Francisco, you already know how powerful a visit to a former prison can be). So the next time you’re traveling to these countries in Latin America, consider a trip behind bars for a truly different vacation experience.
1. Museo de Tradiciones y Leyendas (Museum of Traditions and Legends)
Leon, Nicaragua
The setting for this museum in Nicaragua is La XXI, an infamous jail that was probably one of the last places you’d want to visit in the middle of the 20th century. Today, visitors voluntarily come here, to view an offbeat collection of life-sized, papier-mâché figures that depicts moments from Nicaraguan history, especially in the city of Leon. In a strange contrast to the sometimes-festive features, the former prison’s walls are splashed with graphic murals showing how guards tortured former prisoners between 1921 and 1979.
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2. Presidio Modelo (Model Prison)
Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Built by president-turned-dictator Gerardo Machado in the 1920s, this former prison in Cuba was once home to an imprisoned Fidel Castro and his brother Raul. After Castro’s revolution, the facility housed political opponents, counter-revolutionaries, gay people and others considered an enemy of the state (before the Bay of Pigs invasion, the government issued orders to line the prison’s tunnels with TNT). Today, the Presidio Modelo’s five circular blocks make up a museum that documents the history of incarceration in the 20th century in Cuba. (For more Cuba travel tips, check out photographer Cynthia Carris Alonso’s insider advice on the best travel experiences in Cuba.)
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3. Museo Maritimo y del Presidio (Maritime and Prison Museum)
Ushuaia, Argentina
Located in the southern part of Argentina, this museum combines maritime and prison history. On the top floor, you’ll find a permanent exhibit about the provincial police of Tierra del Fuego and also the Service Penitenciario de la Nación (National Penitentiary Service). (For more Argentina travel tips, check out these 5 great rental car road trips from Buenos Aires.)
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4. Museo Penitenciario Argentino Antonio Ballvé (Antonio Ballvé Argentine Penitentiary Museum)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
This facility, located in Argentina’s capital city, has the hefty-sounding mission to collect, preserve, study and communicate the historic, social and cultural heritage of the nation’s penitentiary system. This Buenos Aires museum opened in 1980 in an 18th-century building graced with thick walls, iron bars and interior courtyards, and it was named after a man who made major changes in the system between 1904 and 1909. You’ll be able to stroll through a chronological history of the evolution of Argentina’s prison traditions. (While you’re in the city, you can also check out the best places to see tango in Buenos Aires.)
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5. Centro de las Artes (Center of the Arts)
San Luis Potosi, Mexico
From its inauguration in 1890 up until 1999, this imposing facility was a penitentiary. The architecture included several aspects that were considered cutting-edge at the turn of the last century in Mexico, especially the concept of the “panóptico,” which had already been used in Europe and was designed to allow easy vigilance of the entire complex. In 1910, the general Porfirio Díaz ordered the incarceration of Francisco I. Madero here. Today, the facility has been redubbed the Centro de las Artes — and by the nickname “Ceart” — and is focused more on art and creativity than jail time, and you can view exhibitions of painting, sculpture, photography and ceramics, as well as attend live music and dance performances, or perhaps even take a class yourself. (Looking for a way to get to San Luis Potosí? Check out my bus review that shows why bus travel is better in Mexico than in the USA — and provides the travel tips you need to choose the best level of service.)
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6. Centro Costarricense de Ciencia y Cultura (Costa Rican Center of Science and Culture)
San Jose, Costa Rica
From its impressively imposing hilltop setting, the former San Jose Penitentiary once cast fear into the hearts of those who cast their eyes on it in Costa Rica‘s capital. Today, it’s home to the Costa Rican Science and Cultural Center, a multi-disciplinary attraction that includes a children’s museum, library, and the Penitentiary Historical Museum, where you can explore the history of the penitentiary — from its historic architecture to the lives of its residents. (For more Costa Rica travel tips, check out how to do volunteer work while on a Costa Rica vacation.)