Jaime Barranco's Most Amazing Collection

Jaime in front of his home-museum in Teusaquillo.

From outside, you wouldn't think that Jaime Barranco's home in Teusaquillo was any different from its nondescript neighbors. But inside it contains a lifetime's collection of knicknacks which Barranco collected from all over the world. Carved wooden masks from Africa, ceramics from China, cultural oddities from the U.S. and, of course, Colombian indigenous artworks. 

Jaime's one-man drum show. He played a
song he wrote about Colombian coffee.

It would be a museum, except that Jaime doesn't like that concept, which he considers too static. Rather, he believes that people need to actively 'appropriate' culture - as he teaches in art and music workshops in his home. 

Perhaps that's why he's stuffed every room of his apartment - including the bedroom and bathroom -with pieces from his collection, which must number in the thousands. He's got a table of Geisha dolls, a corner devoted to perfumes and walls upon walls of masks. Jaime's got stories, some of them of questionable anthropological verity, about many of the pieces. And, if you give him time (and later a tip), he's happy to tell the storie's 

At 77, Jaime's cheerful and active. "I'm enjoying life," he tells us. And, he clearly is. 

Macumba is located on Carrera 19 No. 42-88. Cellphone 313-234-9141. macumba.macumba (at) gmail (dot) com.

Carved masks line the entrance hall.

Masks and figures from Africa and China.

A nice still life of cans on the kitchen wall.

Even the bathroom's a showplace. 

Carved wooden masks.

These heads are mugs.

Dung beetles? Scarab beetles?

Erotic pottery. 

Erotic perfumes and colognes.

Jaime displays fossilized snails. 

Geisha dolls.

Looks like he's from India. 

Ken dolls and cars.

Mississippi Mud.

A perfume. 

Modern women face off against ancient Egyptians.

Hanging a witch on the kitchen wall. 

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours