Archaeology has its own set of rules and rituals. It is an irreversible process that removes artifacts and soil from its context. Care is key to bring our forgotten stories to light. 

But as an activity reserved for professionals, how do we invite visitors outside the field? How do we translate didactic procedures into a place of play without disrupting it?

With our progressive interpretative approach, The MARQ became a milestone in the evolution of museography. Educational yet engaging, we created a stage in which archaeology plays out like never before. MARQ contains large-scale scenographies and was the first museum to integrate touch-screen interactives in Spain.

Five main rooms host the collection of the city’s findings and educational spaces dedicated to the archaeological method of work. The collection ranges from the prehistoric era to contemporary life. A variety of graphics and audiovisual elements help to diversify the epochs on display. They immerse visitors within the respective civilizations that once occupied Alicante. And through hyper-realistic museography, a subterranean world of ancient splendor slowly unfolds in front of the visitor. Excavations within a cave, a church and underwater are meticulously reimagined to explain the technicalities of the field.

MARQ was awarded the Best European Museum in 2004 by the European Museum Forum.