The Museo Nacional is Colombia's oldest and most comprehensive museum, tracing the country's history from pre-Columbian cultures through the colonial period, independence, and into the 20th century. The building itself is extraordinary: a neogothic panopticon prison completed in 1874, its circular plan and iron galleries designed to allow surveillance of all cells from a central point. It was used as a prison until 1946.
The collection covers three main areas: pre-Columbian art and ceramics, colonial religious art, and Colombian history from independence to the present. The pre-Columbian section is strong, with material from cultures the Museo del Oro doesn't cover — pottery, textiles, stone work. Open Tuesday to Saturday 9am–5pm, Sunday 10am–5pm. Small admission fee.