Tourist Attractions & Monuments Chile

Created in 1967 and housed in an old olive mill, it is undoubtedly one of the best museums in the region. It exhibits petroglyphs from the Azapa Valley and a collection of Andean fabrics, ceramics and basketry. The exhibition, very well done, informs us about the way of life of the natives of the coast and the valleys. But it is above all the Chinchorra mummies (there are 300 in all), the oldest in the world, that will hold your attention, as well as the explanations of the mummification process. This civilization practiced mummification 2,000 years before the Egyptians! In 2017, these mummies were transferred to the National Museum of Natural History of Chile in order to perform CT tests: the aim was to understand and study some of the characteristics of these mummies. Absolute archaeological rarities, these mummies were inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage list in July 2021. Finally, the traditional techniques of olive oil extraction will no longer hold any secrets for you thanks to a large 18th century press on display a little further on. Behind the museum are the San Miguel burial mounds, which were formed into mounds by the successive accumulation of layers of sand and vegetable fibres. They belong to the cultural stage known as Alto Ramirez (400 BC - 400 AD). Leaving the museum, you can go to the village of San Miguel.

Julie arrived in San Pedro 17 years ago. Close to the Atacamene culture and a trained ethnologist, she has many anecdotes and stories to tell about archaeology, flora and fauna, geology... and offers themed tours through exclusive hikes. Julie, her partner Eric and their entire team know the desert like the back of their hand, and will take you off the beaten track to places where authenticity reigns: from villages untouched by tourism to the valleys of the Arc-en-Ciel and its petroglyphs, you'll experience a holiday that's out of the ordinary.

This house of character and atypical architecture, located at the foot of Cerro San Cristobal, was one of the residences of Pablo Neruda, the great Chilean poet, and Matilde Urrutia. In 1953, Neruda initiated the construction of this house for Matilde, his secret love at the time. "La Chascona" is named after his beloved and her voluptuous red hair. The construction of the house was entrusted to the Catalan architect Germán Rodríguez Arias. He did his best to meet the expectations and visions of the two lovers: the terrain was steep and the construction plan had to be rethought again and again. This crazy and secret project was carried out behind the back of Delia del Carril, Neruda's wife, from whom he finally separated in 1955. The house is unconventional, with a real interior atmosphere and a singular layout. Inside the house is a portrait of Matilde with two heads painted by the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera. The latter was a close friend of the couple. During the military coup, the Chascona was vandalized and the house was even flooded. Matilde Urrutia insisted on holding Neruda's funeral there, which he died twelve days later. As in the house on Isla Negra and in Valparaíso, part of the poet's collections and his library can be seen here. The house is full of personal objects, furniture and richly decorated rooms. It is also the seat of the Neruda Foundation.

Adjacent to Cemetery No. 1, this cemetery of 3,000 souls made it possible to pay post-mortem tributes in a more fitting manner than the simple common grave that had existed until then. Thus, in 1845, the second cemetery officially opened its doors. Amongst others, the tomb of Admiral Manuel Señoret Astaburuaga, an officer who took part in the Pacific War and the torpedo battle of 1880, and the mausoleum of the mother and brothers of Arturo Prat, hero of the naval battle of Iquique, rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, can be found there.

Pleasant neighborhood with beautiful views of the bay and the other hills. The famous photo of colorful houses glued to each other is often taken from there (just when the elevator Espíritu Santo arrives). The Cerro Bellavista, which has experienced a renewed interest in the past few years, has not been hesitant and has seen many hotels and restaurants open. The Museo a Cielo Abierto, before walking down (on foot or by the Espíritu Santo lift if it is open) to the Plaza de la Victoria.

Built at the beginning of the th century, the Punta Arenas Cathedral is romantic style, with naves separated by terrazzo columns. It is one of the two salesian churches of the city. In the lateral chapel lies the remains of the missionary Jose Fagnano. The original church, entirely in wood, was completely destroyed by fire in 1892, four months after its inauguration. Nine years later, a new church was built, brick this time. It was the first building in the city to have been built with this type of material.