Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

In the 1950s, Edgar Clerc, then director of the Gardel au Moule factory, became interested in Pre-Columbian history after meeting Émile Revert, inspector of National Education, and his pupil Guy Laserre. From 1957, he conducted archaeological research on the beaches of Grande-Terre, revealing the richness of the Amerindian heritage of Guadeloupe. His work culminated in 1965 in the first major exhibition of pre-Columbian archaeology at Pointe-à-Pitre and Basse-Terre.

In 1972, Edgar Clerc was appointed head of the archaeological district of Guadeloupe by the Ministry of Culture. Wishing to share his discoveries, he donated his collection to the General Council, leading to the creation of a departmental museum. Inaugurated on 4 August 1984 at the Rosette Park (Le Moule), the museum then enriched with donations and the deposit of the Barbottin collection in 1991, consolidating its status as a reference on the Indian heritage.

The museum, built on the site of a former military camp by architect Jacques Berthelot, showcases objects from the first millennium BC until the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1493. It bears witness to the daily life of the Pre-Columbians, while being part of a dynamic of scientific valorization initiated by Clerc, marked by regional congresses such as that of 1975 in the Lesser Antilles.

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