Museo Arqueológico

La Serena


Inside a crescent-shaped building with a leafy patio, this museum makes an ambitious attempt to corral Chile's pre-Columbian past. Its highlights include an Atacameña mummy, a hefty 2.5m-high moai (large anthropomorphic statue) from Easter Island and interesting Diaguita artifacts such as a dinghy made from sea-lion hide.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby La Serena attractions

1. Mercado La Recova

0.13 MILES

La Serena's most vibrant market offers a jumble of dried fruits, rain sticks and artisan jewelry, plus a wide range of Andean wool clothing and crafts. It…

3. Patio Colonial

0.17 MILES

Tucked off Balmaceda, this small, picturesque lane is dotted with shops and eateries. The patio in back feels like a secret getaway from the city-center…

4. Iglesia San Francisco

0.18 MILES

The granddaddy of all La Serena's churches is a colonial marvel, two blocks southeast of the plaza and built in the early 1600s. It's a stone construction…

5. Iglesia Catedral

0.24 MILES

The handsome neoclassical Iglesia Catedral dates from 1844; it also has a sobering museum of religious art.

6. Tribunales

0.25 MILES

Tribunales was built as a result of González Videla’s Plan Serena.

7. Municipalidad

0.25 MILES

Pop your head inside to check out photos of the city's past.

8. Plaza de Armas

0.29 MILES

The heart of the colonial center is the palm-filled Plaza de Armas. The picturesque square makes a fine place for a stroll with a bit of people-watching…