This excellent cultural center is an airy, modern space housing three museums, all imaginatively displayed; the highlight is the anthropological collection , with a stunning array of indigenous ceramics, jewelry and flutes. Fossils of mastodons and glyptodonts, extinct creatures that somewhat resembled large armadillos, also impress. The sparsely labeled historical museum is attractively set around the patio of Santiago’s noblest building and touches on slavery, 19th-century strife and the role of women. The top floor art gallery features good temporary exhibitions.
All info is in Spanish. The downstairs cafe is a popular meeting place, does good coffee and is a pleasant air-conditioned retreat from the Santiago heat.
