Santiago Museum of Contemporary Art / MAC (Ismael Valdés Vergara, Santiago) – created in 1947, this is one of Santiago’s main museums (run by the University of Chile Faculty of Arts). The museum has collected around 2,000 works by Chilean artists as well as some international pieces – consisting of artists such as Roberto Matta, […]
Santa Lucía Hill (e/Alameda del Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins in the south, Calle Santa Lucía, and Victoria Subercaseaux, Santiago) — at the eastern end of downtown Santiago you will find Cerro Santa Lucia (Santa Lucía Hill) which is a small hill that is adorned with wonderful facades, fountains and stairways and that even has a ‘castle’ […]
Palacio de los Tribunales de Justicia (Av. Compañís 1140, Santiago Centro, Santiago) — During Augusto Pinochet’s rule, countless human-rights demonstrations were held outside the Courts of Justice, which house the country’s Supreme Court (along with the Court of Appeals of Santiago, the court-martial court for the Chilean Army, Air Force, and the Carabineros de Chile […]
Museum of Memory and Human Rights (Matucana 501, Santiago) – this museum, opened in 2010 by then-Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, was dedicated to the victims of human rights violations committed by the military regime of Gen. Pinochet between 1973 and 1990. Bachelet herself was one of those victims. The museum houses memorabilia of torture devices […]
La Moneda Palace (between Calles Teatinos and Morandé, Santiago) – this is the office of the President of Chile. Originally designed in neoclassical style during the late 18th century by Italian architect Joaquín Toesca (which was previously the official mint), the northern portion of the palace was badly damaged by air force missile attacks during […]
Iglesia de San Agustín (Agustinas 838, Santiago) – another colonial era structure, this Spanish Baroque & Neoclassical church (a.k.a. Our Lady of Grace) was built in 1625 (making this the second oldest church in Chile).
Centro Cultural Palacio de la Moneda (Av. Libertador Bernardo O Higgins, Santiago) – located in the southern façade of the Palacio de la Moneda, this cultural space was built between 2004 and 2006 (designed by Chilean architect Cristián Undurraga). Here, visitors are given access to the cultural and audiovisual richness of the country. Side exhibits […]
Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende (Av. República 475, Santiago Centro, Santiago) – this museum is named after deposed Chilean president Salvador Allende, making this a “must see” stop for those sympathize with the man and his views. Its permanent characterized modern art between the 1960s and 80s. It begins with the so-called Latin American […]
Museo Colonial de San Francisco (La Alameda 834, La Alameda, Santiago) – this museum (which has a collection of colonial and religious art) is located in the San Francisco convent that was built in 1628 (one of the oldest structures in Santiago – remarkable, considering that it survived three massive earthquakes!). Many of the colonial-era […]
Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino (Bandera 361, Santiago) – this museum exhibits pre-Columbian art from not only Chile, but all of Latin America. Because of its sizable collection, many who visit Santiago say that this is among the first sites worth visiting. The building that this museum is housed in is the Royal Customs House […]