Barona Cultural Center & Museum

As San Diego County’s first museum on an Indian reservation dedicated to interpreting the history of the Kumeyaay/Diegueño People, Barona Cultural Center offers a unique educational journey for visitors of all ages.  Since time immemorial, Kumeyaay/Diegueño People have called this place (what we now call San Diego), home.  Learn the real history of this area.  Explore the ancient culture and traditions and see contemporary and modern ways, too.

The museum’s collection represents thousands of years of history—some objects dating as far back as 10,000 years!  A visit to the Barona Museum is an exciting opportunity to witness history and explore the living cultures of southern California’s first people.

Additionally, Barona Cultural Center & Museum also has a Research Library, which offers a wide range of materials that document Native American history, culture, and art. Although the Research Library collects materials on all indigenous peoples of the Americas, the strength of the collection is Southern and Baja California Native American communities.

​Research assistance is available by appointment only however the library is open during regular operating hours of the Barona Cultural Center & Museum, Tuesday-Friday, 12pm to 5pm, and Saturday 10am to 4pm.

We are open to the public and admission is FREE!

The Purpose of the Barona Museum is fourfold:

• To increase understanding and appreciation of the Kumeyaay/Diegueño People, residents of southern California from time immemorial, and the Barona Band of Mission Indians, in particular.
• To preserve and interpret cultural and traditional ways through curation of material culture for tribal and public, alike.
• To preserve the Kumeyaay/Diegueño language (‘Iipay Aa), arts and traditional ways so that future generations of Barona youth can grow in strength and knowledge, secure in the richness of their heritage.
• To educate the public on the history of the Kumeyaay/Diegueño People and Indian traditions such as birdsongs, language, gatherings, gaming, and artwork from the early days to the present.

Barona Cultural Center & Museum also offers outreach programs designed to engage people of all ages through lively discussion and hands-on experiences.  Let us support your classroom curriculum in Native American studies and local San Diego County history.