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Plaza de Armas Though not the exact center of town like Baquedano, the Plaza de Armas is square one. Just six blocks west from Bellas Artes and six blocks north of the presidential palace, the Plaza can easily be made the center of any tour. Surrounding it are some of the city's largest museums including the National History museum and the expansive Pre-Colombian museum. Plaza de Armas is located directly west of Bellas Artes. While dramatically different from the unique culture and style of Bellas Artes, Plaza de Armas has a flare all its own. From the center fountain to the glow of the Cathedral by night, Plaza de Armas draws in hordes of tourists each and every day. Street artists and religious fanatics fill the air with their voices all day. Stray dogs jump and play in the fountain on warm summer days. Dozens of old men sit and play chess under the grand Pavilion, an island of pensiveness amidst the surrounding cacophany. More than just a neighborhood, the Plaza de Armas is a main artery in the pulse-beat of Santiago. Museo Histórico Nacional Though not the only National History museum in town, it is the most famous and the only one dedicated to a thorough look at the country's social development. Two floors and 19 different rooms trace Chile from its indigenous roots to its modern day development. Each room goes a long way to show not only social successes, but the problems and challenges that have faced Chile in the course of its growth. Combined with the pre-Colombian museum just two blocks away, the Museo de Santiago located across the plaza and the Archaeological museum at the MAVI, the National History museum completes a very in-depth look at Chile. Weapons, jewelry, furniture and various other artifacts collected over centuries make for an incredibly textured and thorough walk through history. Most appealing about Santiago's history museums is that they go almost out of their way to invite visitors in. Each room is full of enough history to keep both children and adults enthralled for hours. Even better is the fact that the National History museum opens it's giant steel doors onto the Plaza de Armas, a history lesson in itself. The tour continues without walls. Santiago's National History museum is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is $600 CLP general public and $300 CLP for students. Grade-schoolers and senior citizens are free, as well as Sundays. Guided tours are available at 2-411-7037 or by email at educativo@mhn.cl Their website is www.museohistoriconacional.cl. Pre-Colombian Natives dressed in monkey skins. Hand-woven textiles hundreds of years old. Giant wood-carved statues. Cups, tools, jewelry, trinkets and so much more made from all sorts of materials. In short, one of the most extensive and important collections of Pre-Colombian art and handiwork in the world. Welcome to Chile's Pre-Colombian Museum, where cultures are born and worlds collide. Downstairs, find a gift shop with books in various languages, native Chilean garments and textiles, postcards and jewelry. Find temporary, traveling exhibits and an extensive research library. Enjoy interactive programs and activities designed to further the experience and extent of the permanent collection. And remember, that's just the first floor. Upstairs, find hours worth of artifacts, art, weapons and jewelry from long before the European conquest to the time when world cultures changed. The rooms flow chronologically from early Mexico to extensive collections of South American work. Pieces range from the tiniest stone-carved dolls to enormous, wood carved totem poles and a room dedicated entirely to hand-woven blankets and tapestries. Regardless of your knowledge of the West before Columbus, the Pre-Colombian museum will entrance and enthrall even the most unaware of visitors. El Museo Chileno de Arte Pre-Colombino can be found at Bandera 361 on the corner of Compania. The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $2000 CLP general public, students and children are free. Admission is free on Sundays. Guided tours are available with prior notice. They can be contacted by phone at 2-688-7348. Their website is www.museoprecolombino.cl. Remember...5 Tips to Viewing Art in Santiago, Chile Gasco One thing sets Santiago apart from other major cities-one of its major gas companies is fronted by a contemporary art gallery. Hands down, Gasco is easily the most creative use of window space from the Andes to the Ocean. And the art's pretty amazing, too. Gasco is an art lover and an artist's dream rolled into one. Located literally on the street, its giant windows explode with color, innovation and creativity at all hours of the day. Shows have ranged from the simple, clean lines of hand drawings to collaborative kitsch installations that leave not a single inch of space untouched. Even the simplest collections have always been wild and untamed, leaving visitors refreshed and ready for more. The Gasco company entrance splits the gallery into two and, therefore, the shows into two as well. Work will sometimes spill from one room into the other or will often be split into two different elements, both cohesive, both complementary. Either way, the space requires ingenuity to fully be taken advantage of and the work is always reflective of this. Gasco is located at 1061 Santo Domingo, one and a half blocks northwest of the Plaza de Armas. They are open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free and guided tours are available. They can be reached by phone at 2-694-4386. Their website is www.salagasco.cl Museo de Santiago Ever wonder how or why Santiago came to be what it is today? Well, now's the time to find out. One of the oldest museums in the city, El Museo de Santiago charts the city's growth from its earliest memories to its modern façade. Inside, the museum is laid out similarly to the National History Museum, just across the plaza. A large, interior courtyard feeds into the different showcases of models, mannequins, photos and maps that detail the growth of Santiago. Further back, find a small café perfect for an after-tour snack. Tourists, new locals and native Chileans can all get an inexpensive, detailed history lesson of the city they now call home. The museum is located at Merced 860, at the southeastern corner of the Plaza. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $505 CLP for adults, $255 CLP for children and is free on Sundays. They can be contacted by phone at 2-633-6700. Their website is www.ciudad.cl Posada del Corregidor Chances are, this clandestine cultural hot-spot won't show up in any major tour guides. The entrance is easily unnoticed and the location not readily advertised. The art, as well, can be hit or miss, much like many of the smaller galleries around town. However, Posada del Corregidor remains a hidden destination in an otherwise well-mapped landscape. Located just off the end of Parque Forestal, Posada del Corregidor is an art gallery. Work changes regularly and remains the center of focus in the cool, ambient light of this antique space. Its doors open onto Plaza Esmeralda, now a historic monument. What was once the gateway to the North of Santiago is now a truly quiet escape amidst a sector crammed with tiny shops, grocery stores and bus traffic. Posada del Corregidor is a treat because it remains or simply seems untouched, yet is so representative of the city that surrounds it. Quit the park but not the tranquility. Enjoy the myriad styles and periods of architecture that makes Santiago so unique. Take a look at burgeoning Chilean artists in a smaller, quieter setting. Walk either way through the gallery's large, antique wooden doors and leave the hustle and bustle of Santiago behind, if even for just a few minutes. Posada del Corregidor is located at Esmeralda 479 with Mac-Iver, about four blocks north of the Plaza. They are open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays. Admission is free. Estación Mapocho One of the most intriguing things about Santiago is its creative use of space. For instance, an art gallery in front of the gas company. Subway stations as cinemas. Parks as living, breathing museums. And Estacion Mapocho, the old hub of the Chilean railways, as a remodeled and reusable space for everything cultural. From dinosaurs to Dali, Manu Chao to Miro, Estacion Mapocho has a little something to offer everyone. Nearly abandoned and forgotten by 1987 when the doors were shut to train traffic, the building was remodeled in 1991 and has remained intact ever since. Its own bright history and prosperity have opened now to house 20,000 squared meters of usable space divided into four main galleries. The four spaces have seen the likes of David Copperfield, Salman Rushdie and Stephen Hawking and more. A recent exhibition of works by Picasso, Miro and Goya was so popular it stayed open almost an extra month. Since its reinception, Estacion Mapocho has been declared a national monument. The architecture itself is testament to the colorful history the building houses within its walls. Giant domed ceilings, ornate masonry and stained glass are just a few of its attributes. Inside, the galleries are used for conferences, photo exhibits, lectures and art openings. Much like Bellas Artes, the building alone is worth the visit-the art is an added bonus. Hours vary depending on current exhibitions, and are best viewed online at www.estacionmapocho.cl. Tickets to events can be purchased on site, or at Almacenes Paris, Feria del Disco and Ticket Master. They can be contacted by phone at 2-787-0000 or by email at ccem@estacionmapocho.cl Art in Baquedano and Plaza Italia Museums in Bellas Artes Museums and Art in Quinta Normal The Green Mile Begins Here |
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