Chile Guide
Santiago
Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
Opening time: Tues– Sun 10am–6pm, closed all holidays
Price: CH$2000, Sun free
Telephone: 6887348
Website: www.precolombino.cl
Address: Corner of Compañía and Bandera
The beautifully restored 1807 Real Casa de la Aduana (the old royal customs house) holds the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. Unquestionably Chile´s best museum, it brings together over three thousand pieces representing some one hundred pre-Columbian peoples of Latin America. The collection spans a period of about ten thousand years and covers regions from present-day Mexico down to southern Chile, brilliantly illustrating the artistic wealth and diversity of Latin America's many cultures. Good layout and lighting set off the delicate beauty of the exhibits, and the whole thing is a very manageable size. The permanent collection is displayed in seven rooms arranged around two courtyards, each room dedicated to a different cultural area.