Museum
Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
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The Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art in central Santiago displays artworks and artifacts from Central and South America created before European contact. The collection includes over 3,000 pieces spanning roughly 10,000 years, drawn from major pre-Columbian culture areas such as Mesoamerica, the Andes, and Amazonia. The museum is housed in the Palacio de la Real Aduana, a building constructed between 1805 and 1807, located a block west of the Plaza de Armas.
Don't miss
- A statue of Xipe Totec from the Mesoamerica area
- An incense burner from the Teotihuacan culture
- Pottery from the Valdivia people and Capuli figures chewing coca leaf in the Intermedia area
- Gold objects from the Veraguas and Diquis cultures
- The oldest textile in the museum: a painted cloth almost 3,000 years old from the Chavín culture
Tickets & tours
Ways to visit Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
You can visit Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino on your own. A guide mainly adds context, what you are looking at and why it matters, and a tour can add transport or combine nearby sights into one day.
Cheapest way inMuseo Chileno de Arte Precolombino Admission Ticket4.4★ · 130 travelers~2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$17 per personSee dates →
Best full dayCajon del Maipo/Embalse del Yeso, Tradition Folk Picnic included4.5★ · 2,982 travelers9-10 hoursFree cancellationFrom$42 per personSee dates →
Private & flexibleHorse Riding Tour in the Andes Santiago Chile4.9★ · 39 travelers~3 hoursFrom$185 per personSee dates →Know before you go
- The museum is in central Santiago, a block west of the Plaza de Armas, near the Palacio de los Tribunales de Justicia and the Former National Congress Building.
- The building is the Palacio de la Real Aduana, constructed between 1805 and 1807.
A bit of history
The museum was founded by Chilean architect and antiquities collector Sergio Larraín García-Moreno, who wanted a place to display and preserve his private collection of pre-Columbian artifacts acquired over nearly fifty years. With support from Santiago's municipal government, he secured the building and established the museum, which first opened in December 1981. In January 2014, a partnership with Minera Escondida and BHP Billiton funded a 70% expansion designed by Chilean architect Smiljan Radić Clarke, adding exhibition spaces, storage, and a conservation laboratory.
Common questions
What cultures are represented in the collection?
The collection covers major pre-Columbian culture areas: Mesoamerica, Intermediate/Isthmo-Colombian, Pan-Caribbean, Amazonia, and the Andean region, representing almost 100 different groups of people.
How old are the artifacts?
The collection spans about 10,000 years, with the oldest textile being a painted cloth almost 3,000 years old from the Chavín culture.
Who founded the museum?
The museum was founded by Chilean architect and antiquities collector Sergio Larraín García-Moreno, who used his private collection of pre-Columbian artifacts.
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