as such, a formal ballroom with a long leather-covered table was the place, where the cabinet used to meet. the most moving exhibit is the three-room hagiography of president Getúlio vargas. it is a curious treatment for this museum, given that vargas brought the first republic to an end with a coup in 1930. 

the museum has done a remarkable job at creating a multimedia sensory experience of Getúlio's life - at times with audio clips, newsreels, photos, and personal effects. behind that, in a softly backlit glass case, is the pearl-handled.32-caliber colt that Getúlio used on the night of august 24, 1954, to blast a fatal hole in his heart, committing suicide at the threat of a rumored coup d'état.