Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile

5Nola C 5:00 PM Mar 7, 2023

Wonderful small museum
This small museum rates as one of the great museums of the world for the quality of its exhibits and the care of its curation. It was the top priority on my trip to Santiago and I was not disappointed. The masterpiece collection on the top floor certainly lives up to its name. I visited on a Tuesday ( it’s closed on Mondays) and there was no difficulty accessing the upper galleries, as some earlier reviewers experienced. Throughout the upper galleries there is quite a lot of English explanation, though some people might have missed it because it comes last in the 4 panels that typically introduce the different areas being a examined in each subsection. It’s less detailed than the Spanish language information, of course, but adequate for non-specialists. Don’t miss the small, dimly lit room dedicated to weaving. It contains some priceless pieces many hundreds of years old. Cloth is more perishable than ceramics and metals, so a lot rarer, but this wonderful collection suggests how very colourful the pre-Columbian scene must have been. Finally, the cafe downstairs is great, especially if you are looking for good quality vegetarian or vegan food. If you are interested in pre-Colombian America ignore the suggested 1 hour. I spent over 90 minutes upstairs alone.

5kazganymede 5:00 PM Feb 29, 2020

Chinchorro mummies
This museum has a Chilean section, an ancient American section and a textile room (no photos.) I was particularly fascinated by the standing wooden statues and Chinchorro mummies, the oldest in the world. Very close to the beautiful cathedral and Congress.