Heritage of the Americas Museum in El Cajon, CA

 We didn't plan our visit very well.  We had lunch first and arrived at the Heritage of the Americas Museum with left-overs in the car.  Not good.  When we entered, a very friendly man asked if we were here for the talk.  There was a free talk about the Panama Canal.  It was excellent with a focus on the engineering.  After listening to the lecture, we breezed quickly through the Museum to get back to our food.  The Museum is small, but has a lot of artifacts grouped by culture.  The focus is on the Indigenous peoples of North and Central America with displays that range from Olmec figurines to Nez Perce beadwork.  There is also a selection of minerals, shells and fossils.  We need to go back, because we really rushed through.  There are also gardens we missed and a Water Conservation Garden nearby.

There was an amusing display of "meals" made with rocks and minerals.  It was a very witty way to showcase the colors of textures of minerals.

                                                    None of this is food

The Museum is on the campus of Cuyamaca College and there is plenty of parking.  Admission is $6 for adults.  The Museum is open during the week, but is only open on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays, beginning at noon.  Their calendar is worth a look, because they have many programs for the community.