Museo Iloilo

Museo Iloilo is a provincial museum located along Bonifacio Drive in Iloilo City Proper, Iloilo City, Iloilo Province, Western Visayas. Established in 1971 as the first government-sponsored museum outside Metro Manila, it houses archaeological artifacts, pottery, fossils, religious art, and ethnographic collections that document the history and cultural heritage of Panay Island and the Ilonggo people.

Visitors can expect a two-storey museum building within the Iloilo Provincial Capitol complex with air-conditioned galleries displaying pre-colonial pottery, stone tools, fossils, burial jars, religious sculptures, and contemporary Ilonggo art. The setting is urban and compact, with curated exhibits, dioramas, and historical photographs arranged chronologically. Visitors can walk through exhibition halls, view artifacts in glass cases, and join guided tours explaining Panay's archaeology and cultural history.

Museo Iloilo was established in 1971 through the efforts of the Iloilo Provincial Government and the Iloilo Cultural Research Foundation, making it the first provincial museum funded by the Philippine government outside Metro Manila. Designed by Ilonggo architect Sergio Ledesma, it was created to preserve and showcase the archaeological and historical heritage of Panay Island, including artifacts from pre-colonial settlements and the Spanish colonial period.

The museum serves as the center for preservation of Ilonggo and Panay heritage, displaying ethnographic materials, traditional crafts, religious imagery, and contemporary art that reflect the cultural identity of Western Visayas. It functions as an educational resource for local history and cultural traditions of the Hiligaynon people.