Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art on Postcard

"For Lovers of Art & History Just off the iconic Plaza de Armas, the main square, housed in the old customs building, is the Museum of Pre-Columbian art. The museum has a solid collection of Latin American art and history and an extensive collection of ceramics and pottery. The building itself is a historic monument and testament to the colonial area with sunny interior patios and lovely arcades. To bring the museum to life, sign up for a free guided tour with a docent to see the best works, including an impressive collection of Mapuche "chemamulles," wooden statues thought to be guardians. Bandera 361, corner Compañía de Jesús Phone: 56 (2) 2928 1500"

El Centro: Santiago's Historic Heart

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Maureen Kornienko

Google

Stopped here during a long layover. Arrived about an hour before closing, enjoyed some time at the cafe, and then circulated through the floors. I appreciated the English translations. The art was all really interesting, informative, and shocking how many artifacts and pieces of art have been preserved.

Jay T Blondek

Google

Amazing and through collection of pre Columbian art. Breathtaking sculptures. Also had tapestry and small jewelry pieces. 💯. Also the cafe here was great. Not a throw away at all. Good local wines. Gift shop was amazing as well. Museum gift shops are my to-go-to for souvenirs for friends.

JRS

Google

Visited in June of 2024 with my wife. Lovely museum with a great collection, nice small gift shop and a solid cafe. We came on a rainy morning and spent a few hours exploring upstairs and downstairs in the museum. Highly recommended.

Lukas Mohr

Google

Worth a visit and a Deep Dive into South Americas long past high culture. Seeing all these masterpieces ist truely amazing and let your mind wander. 10.000 Peso is well spend & a visit takes around one hour.

Ester Nugis

Google

Amazing museum, so interesting and explains the history very well. It is very big, so take at least 2 hours. Recommend 100%

Žydronė Lukšytė

Google

Went on first sunday of the month (which is free for local people) and expected it to be crowded, which was not the case. Also expected to fit into 1,5 hours, and it appered it was not the case either (I wish I have had at least half an hour more). Lovely museum, especially broad is the potery collection. The Chilean section (Chile before Chile) in the basement not to be missed.

Dana Hummel

Google

Wow, this is a fabulous collection of very old artifacts from all over South America. A few of the items are up to 4000 years old, with most items in the 500 to 1000 years old. One should allow up to 3 hours to see and read about all the items. Some descriptions are in English, but a lot of the tags could use a bit more to help in the titling etc.

Helen and Elliot

Google

Well done museum. Great displays in English and Spanish (and the perfect amount of text to keep your attention while still being informative). Minus one star because there are no water fountains and the cafe is too stingy to fill your water bottle despite a relatively high entrance fee

Maureen Kornienko

Google

Stopped here during a long layover. Arrived about an hour before closing, enjoyed some time at the cafe, and then circulated through the floors. I appreciated the English translations. The art was all really interesting, informative, and shocking how many artifacts and pieces of art have been preserved.

Jay T Blondek

Google

Amazing and through collection of pre Columbian art. Breathtaking sculptures. Also had tapestry and small jewelry pieces. 💯. Also the cafe here was great. Not a throw away at all. Good local wines. Gift shop was amazing as well. Museum gift shops are my to-go-to for souvenirs for friends.

JRS

Google

Visited in June of 2024 with my wife. Lovely museum with a great collection, nice small gift shop and a solid cafe. We came on a rainy morning and spent a few hours exploring upstairs and downstairs in the museum. Highly recommended.

Lukas Mohr

Google

Worth a visit and a Deep Dive into South Americas long past high culture. Seeing all these masterpieces ist truely amazing and let your mind wander. 10.000 Peso is well spend & a visit takes around one hour.

Ester Nugis

Google

Amazing museum, so interesting and explains the history very well. It is very big, so take at least 2 hours. Recommend 100%

Žydronė Lukšytė

Google

Went on first sunday of the month (which is free for local people) and expected it to be crowded, which was not the case. Also expected to fit into 1,5 hours, and it appered it was not the case either (I wish I have had at least half an hour more). Lovely museum, especially broad is the potery collection. The Chilean section (Chile before Chile) in the basement not to be missed.

Dana Hummel

Google

Wow, this is a fabulous collection of very old artifacts from all over South America. A few of the items are up to 4000 years old, with most items in the 500 to 1000 years old. One should allow up to 3 hours to see and read about all the items. Some descriptions are in English, but a lot of the tags could use a bit more to help in the titling etc.

Helen and Elliot

Google

Well done museum. Great displays in English and Spanish (and the perfect amount of text to keep your attention while still being informative). Minus one star because there are no water fountains and the cafe is too stingy to fill your water bottle despite a relatively high entrance fee

Marilu F.

Yelp

Often recommended as a pit stop while in Chile, we stopped by this museum and found at least one floor of it closed. Not to mention, too, that the gift shop was closed. Nevertheless, it was an interesting experience, because although artifacts were limited, the ones presented proved to be well preserved and depicting a time in history not often discussed. At this museum, you will find pieces from before the Precolombino times, and these, of course, include things from the Inka and things pertaining to Easter Island. It's a nice little pit stop, but please don't expect to make a day out of it. I think we were there over an hour tops.

Leo Y.

Yelp

It's truly amazing how advanced and impressive the Latin American civilization was before the arrival of Europeans decimated it. The ceramics, metallurgy, art, and society were at times more advanced than the Europeans who attacked them. The museum was well laid out, with information in Spanish, and then a brief summary in English. I translated some of the Spanish descriptions using Google Translate when I wanted more details than the English summary provided. It's easy to spend a few hours here if reading everything. A great collection from across south and central America.

Steve A.

Yelp

This was my favorite part of my Chilean trip. So glad I was able to make time to go. They have three floors of exhibits. One was closed when I arrived but they only charged $5.000 (right now about $6) instead of the usual $8.000, which is unusual for museums. You will see things you can't see anywhere else. There aren't all THAT many artifacts but when you see how well preserved they are and think about how much has been lost or destroyed, it's so great to see this all in one place and I absolutely want them to have my money (and yours) to keep these and more preserved!

Des S.

Yelp

What a beautifully curated museum! It's beautiful art and displays make it a delight! The cafe is really nice too! Generous portions and fresh food.

George E.

Yelp

Only two floors but a top notch museum with fantastic, well thought out displays. The entry level has an interior courtyard cafe serving lunch and a museum store with a bit more than your average souvenir offerings. Besides pre-columbian replica pottery and vessels, they offer textiles, books and contemporary wares by Chilean artists.

Alex D.

Yelp

The well-endowed collection of artifacts of the region's indigenous peoples, much of it donated by the collector Sergio Larraín García-Moreno, is displayed in the beautifully restored Royal Customs House that dates from 1807. The permanent collection, on the upper floor, showcases ceramics and textiles from Mexico to Patagonia. Unlike many of the city's museums, the displays here are well labeled in Spanish and English. Guided tours in English are available at no extra cost, but booking in advance is required. Located in Bandera Street 361 (Plaza de Armas Subway, Green Line); Opening from Tuestady through Sunday - 10 AM to 6 PM.

Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art

Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art

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