Description of the attraction
More than three decades have passed since the founding of the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. It was an innovative idea for the countries of Latin America to create an institution that would protect, study and disseminate the creative heritage of all the pre-Columbian peoples of America, regardless of the political boundaries that separate these countries.
It was founded by the eminent Chilean architect and antiques collector Sergio Larrain García-Moreno, who was looking for a place to preserve his collection of pre-Columbian artifacts acquired over fifty years.
With the support of the municipal government of Santiago, as well as the personal participation of Sergio Larrain García-Moreno, the construction of the museum was started and a research institute was founded on its basis. The museum opened its doors in December 1981 at the Palacio de la Real Aduana de Santiago, in the historic center of Santiago de Chile. From the end of 2011 to 2013, the museum was closed for updating its collections and restoration work.
The building of the Palacio de la Real Aduana de Santiago, also known as the Palace of the Royal Customs and the Old Palace of the Courts, was built between 1805 and 1807. Its construction was entrusted to the military engineer Jose Maria de Atero and was carried out by the famous architect Joaquin Toesca. In 1969, this building was listed as a National Monument in Chile.
The museum has an extensive collection of materials on pre-Columbian culture, the culture of the Aztecs, Mayans and Incas, Chilean indigenous peoples - the Dihuitas, Mapuche, Rapa Nui, Selknam and many others.
The museum holds more than 3,000 exhibits representing nearly 100 different cultures of the pre-Columbian period over 10,000 years. The collection is divided into four zones. The first, Area mesoamerica, in which you can see a statue of the deity Xipe Totec, an incense burner from Teotihuacan, Mayan bas-reliefs from Easter Island. The second, Area Intermedia, on the shelves of the room displays ceramics from the Valdivia and Capuli cultures, gold objects from the province of Veraguas (Panama) and Diquis, a pre-Columbian indigenous culture from Costa Rica that flourished since 700 AD. before 1530 AD The third, Area Andes Centrales, with a large collection of masks and copper figurines, many of which were removed from the graves. Also in this part of the exhibition you can see a large collection of textiles from the Moche culture (the territory of northern Peru) and the Chavin culture - a civilization that developed in the northern Andes on the territory of modern Peru since 900 BC. before 200 BC The oldest exhibit in this part of the museum is dyed fabric, which is almost 3000 years old. The fourth zone, Area Andres del Sur, is a collection of ceramic urns from the Aguada culture, snuffboxes from the San Pedro culture and Inca kipu items from the territory of modern Chile and Argentina.
Museum visitors can view permanent and temporary exhibitions of Latin American pre-Columbian art all year round.
