Description of the attraction
In the southern part of the city of Antofagasta there is a huge majestic stone building, which at first glance can be mistaken for an ancient structure of the Incas. However, the building is only 125 years old and is one of the largest silver processing factories in South America, built in 1888 after the model of an American factory. The plant began its work in 1892, processing 200 tons of rock per day, brought from the silver mines of Pulacayo and Opipo (Bolivia). But from an economic point of view, the received 3, 85 tons of silver per month was not enough for the normal operation of the company. In 1902, the company ceased its activities due to a decrease in prices for silver products in the world market, as well as due to the outdated production technology operating at the plant.
Later, part of the plant's buildings passed into the possession of the Chilean army, the other part passed to the Chilean treasury. In 1964, the territory with the destroyed buildings of the former factory was transferred to the Northern University. In 1974, the ruins of Juanchak were declared a Historic Monument of Chile.
Today, this site is home to the Juanchak Cultural Park and the Museum del Desierto de Atacama (MDA), designed by the architects Ramon Wie, Marco Polidura, Eugene Soto and Iñaki Volante. The 2,200 square meter museum building houses five exhibition halls, a conference room, offices, warehouses and research laboratories, as well as a café and gift shop.
The museum has collections of geology and paleontology. Permanent thematic exhibitions can be visited. Among them - "Mining Chamber" tells about the evolution of tools used in the early twentieth century in the mining industry. The exhibition "Window to the Universe" was opened with the support of the European Southern Observatory (ESO); on special panels you can see how the first galaxies were born, what dark matter is and how a "black hole" can be grown. The permanent exhibition also tells about the history of cities in the Antofagasta region.
And in front of the entrance to the museum there is a "Rock Garden" where you can see samples of rocks and minerals from northern Chile, on the other side of the entrance there is an exhibition with samples of spherical and flat calcareous rocks with marine fossils brought from the Atacama Desert.
Also, a small amphitheater was built on the territory of the ruins, where concerts and shows are held, and in front of the national monument in 2006 a casino opened its doors.
Currently, the Juanchak Cultural Park is one of the most popular places among tourists when visiting Antofagasta.
