Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino: Study Ancient American Artistic Legacy In Santiago's Heart

This gallery is a trailblazer in Latin America for the preservation, propagation, and research of the art heritage of America’s pre-Columbian communities. It boasts a large array of art from ancient societies like the Incas and Diaguitas, to name a few. Situated in the central part of Santiago, it’s merely a block away from Plaza de Armas.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino - Nestled within one of Santiago’s most notable colonial edifices, this museum occupies a structure erected in 1805, showcasing neoclassical architecture. Initially, it served as the Royal Customs House for the colonial administration.
    Permanent Exhibition: Chile before Chile
    Human presence in the region now known…
What's Included
  • Admission to museum
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Transportation to/from attractions
Additional Information
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Chilean nationals, foreign residents in Chile and students can buy discounted tickets directly at the Museum’s entrance by showing an ID
Location
Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
Bandera 361, Esquina Compañía
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.3
(95 Ratings)
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Silvanaacduailibe
Aug 24, 2024
Unforgettable tour - Wonderful! A primorosa and very well organized collection, plus a beautiful building! We were impressed by the state of preservation of the parts. The museum is of a beauty indispensable to the eyes of those who appreciate art and history.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laurareginasantana
Jun 29, 2024
To learn about the Americas! - Museum telling the history of various peoples originating from the Americas (for far beyond the Incas, Maya and Aztec...). There is a lot of information and a lot of interesting artifacts. It also has an underground only over the Chilean peoples. You can spend 2 hours walking. There is a restaurant with breakfast, snack and lunch (I didn't eat there, I don't know if it's good). Come as soon as it opens, so the museum is quiet. Gave to buy the entrance tickets on time ($10,000 pesos per person).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
935maianas
Jun 27, 2024
A good experience - Amazing museum to know and understand The original People of this land. A place to see art, culture and way of Life of indians from all over America. It worths.
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Geral_oso
May 21, 2024
Guided tour 100% recommended - I made the reservation for a guided tour, I made the request through the museum's website and everything turned out spectacular, very good service and very detailed explanation from the guide who attended our group, I recommend getting to know the museum in this way, otherwise you will They would lose very valuable information. We close the visit at the pre-Columbian café, both experiences 100% recommended. Greetings.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ricardok378
Jul 26, 2024
Good to go without hurry - Culture is part of Trips . Many curiosities , deserved to have museum guides to complement the experience . Great program to go by metro ( about 10’ from the station on foot ).
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Midway42
Jun 14, 2024
Extensive, well organized collection of artifacts. - When you ask the average person (including this reviewer before visiting this museum) to list the significant civilizations of pre-Colombian Central and South America you will likely get a short list that includes the Mayans, the Aztecs, and the Incas. The Chilean Museum of Pre-Colombian Art dispels this notion in decisive fashion. Inaugurated in 1981 and extensively renovated in 2014, the institution’s collection contains over 3,000 items categorized into almost 100 different groups spanning 10,000 years. It is a virtual treasure trove of irreplaceable artistic objects. I visited twice here on consecutive days at the end of my week in the country. The building consists of three main sections: a lower floor exhibit covering the history of Chile Before Chile,” a larger second floor experience covering the rest of the Americas (minus upper North America), and a smaller rotating exhibit on the ground floor displaying “daily wear and tear” and its effects on indigenous artifacts. “Chile Before Chile” is divided geographically; artifacts from the Far North, Near North, Central, and Southern zones are grouped and include items as diverse as neonatal mummies and wooden flutes. The second-floor collection is more extensive, covering a larger geographic area, and included an even more varied set of objects: Mayan ceramic vases, Shaman wooden “purging spatulas,” Vicus ceramic house models, etc. The rotating exhibit was in a single room and fairly brief, while a small gift shop rounded out the experience. In summary, this was an equally memorable and exhausting experience. First and most importantly, as stated in the introduction it truly opened my eyes to the variegated groups of people that inhabited this part of the Americas in the past. Most of the items on display were simply beautiful to look at and English translations were thankfully the norm and not the exception. Second, the museum does an above average job of organization, with the groups displayed geographically in eight rooms with timelines shown for temporal context. My only suggestion to the staff would be to have a phone app or audio guide to make the place easier to navigate for those with limited time. In any case, this museum should be included on even the most cursory visit to Santiago.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
John_s
Jun 2, 2024
Interesting - Very interesting. Nice diversity in south american culture including the similarities and differences in regional craft and culture.
Review provided by Viator
Rons320
May 3, 2024
Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino - I was under the impression that the core of the exhibition is comprised of artifacts found in Chile but it's rather a collection of finds from different regions of South and Central America. Good collection of pottery from Chavin and Wari cultures. Signage is both in Spanish and English. The entry fee is 10,000 CLP
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kevins684
May 26, 2024
Became a little repetitive. - 10,000 pesos to enter which for what it contained seemed a little on the expensive side. There are lots of artefacts on display, but concentrating on 'historic art' it focuses on ceramics, stonework and carvings. Covering each region by region from Mexico to Chile became a little repetitive.
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Paolosbg
May 9, 2024
disappointed - Disappointed, we are in 2024 and sad situations still exist. in this museum, in the center of the city, they do not make any reductions for disabled people
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $15
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).