Maloka Museum, Interactive science museum in Fontibón, Colombia
The Maloka Museum is an interactive science center in Fontibón that presents themed rooms across several floors covering astronomy, biology, telecommunications, and energy production. Most stations invite hands-on exploration, and a separate dome theater shows science-related projections.
Maloka opened on 4 December 1998, built on the initiative of the Colombian Association for the Advancement of Science (ACAC) with support from Colciencias, the District Institute of Culture and Tourism, the Ardila Lülle Organization and public and private allies. The building, designed by architects Andrés Ferroni and Gonzalo Vargas, cost 18,900 million pesos. María Cristina Díaz has directed the corporation since 2021.
The name comes from indigenous languages and refers to a place where knowledge is shared within the community. Today school groups and families use the hands-on stations to try out scientific principles themselves.
The building is underground, entered from a large public plaza where a glass prism, a cube, a cylinder and a dome cinema emerge from the surface. The exhibition halls, store, café and restaurant are inside, so allow several hours. The dome cinema is a separate space within the complex.
In the petroleum section you can follow on mechanical models how crude oil is extracted from underground. This makes the entire process from the well to the refinery tangible.
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