Top 5 Museums in Santiago

Museo de la Memoria in Santiago, Chile

If you’re a museum buff, your first order of business upon arriving in Santiago and taking a nap (as most flights here from Europe and the United Sates are overnight), will be plotting out how to get to your top picks over the course of your stay. But which your top picks are will depend a little on who you are and what you like. Are you into art? History? Fashion? Sports? Following are five picks for great museums in Santiago, with a little something for everyone.

Museo Precolombino- The Precolumbian Aart museum is considered by many tourists to be the best museum in Santiago. it is located in the former Royal Customs House, a building dating from 1807, and is just a few blocks off the Plaza de Armas, making it very centrally-located. Inside it has treasures from many eras, including valuable gold adornments, pottery, and weavings. No photography is allowed in the building, and there is a small gift shop.

Museo de La Memoria- This museum commemorates dictatorship which started with the coup in which Pinochet took power, on September 11th, 1973 through 1989, when democracy was voted back in. The museum is modern and multi-media, with video loops, audio recordings, newspaper clippings, photos, artefacts (including children’s toys, letters and pictures from the era). Several implements of torture are on display, and they are behind a wall for sensitive visitors. There is also a small display on the other dictatorships and truth commission findings from all over the world, and on the third floor, a display of arpilleras, which are political and/or historical embroidery done on burlap cloth.

Museo de La Moda- This museum is a bit off the beaten path, up in Vitacura, but not difficult to get to by bus or taxi. It houses some original, some reproduction pieces of fashion through the ages, including one of Madonna’s famous pointed bras and the occasional pair of rhinestoned shoes. There are also soccer uniforms on display and some very valuable pieces of elaborate costumes. Again, photography is not permitted. The hotel is based in what was a family’s house, and some rooms may still be viewed. There is a nice café on the grounds with coffee and simple sandwiches.

Bellas Artes- This museum’s permanent collection consists mainly of original paintings with some reproductions.It is also where travelling exhibitions of fine arts are received, and we have seen many artistic greats, from all over the world, including Andy Warhol, other pop artists and artists of historical importance as well. The museum itself was designed by the architect Emilio Jequier as a palace and museumin homage to the Petit Palais of Paris. It is located in the Bellas Artes neighborhood, close to the metro.

Museo Interactivo Mirador (MIM) is Chile’s children’s museum, and if you’re visiting with little ones who are the least bit interested in art, scinece or technology, it’s worth a visit to this large space (7200 sq meters) to check out the exhibits. Since opening in 2000, it has become the most visited museum in teh country, and has interactive exhibits on physics (including bubbles and a series of ribbons children can run through= and other aspects of science. It is located in the Comuna of La Granja, and you have to take the metro plus bus or taxi to get there, but it’s well worth a visit.

Photo by betoscopio on Flickr.