Santiago Further Distractions
This museum, which has changed locations several times in recent years, houses works of art donated by artists from around the world. The collection began in 1971 when a group of artists and thinkers decided to bring together contemporary works of art to show their sympathy with the socialist policies of the Salvador Allende government. During Pinochet's military dictatorship, exiled artists continued the project and the collection now includes donations by artists from over 39 countries such as Joan Miro, Roberto Matta, Antonio Saura and Yoko Ono.
Avenida República 475
Tel: (02) 689 8761.
Website: www.mssa.cl
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1900.
Free admission; donations invited.
Villa Grimaldi Peace Park
Villa Grimaldi, the former headquarters of General Pinochet's notorious secret police force, has reopened under a new guise as a memorial park to the victims of Chile's military dictatorship. An estimated 5,000 political prisoners were detained and tortured here between the 1973 military coup and 1987 - and 226 of these ‘disappeared'. Current president, Michelle Bachelet, survived an internment here, having been imprisoned along with her mother in January 1975. The park opened in March 1997, marking a crucial step in Chile's reconciliation with its bloody past, and was the first government-sanctioned memorial to Pinochet's victims.
Avenida Arrieta 8401, eastern suburb of Peñaloen
Website: www.villagrimaldi.cl
Opening hours: Daily dawn-dusk.
Free admission.
Cementerio General
Until recently, this has been one of Santiago's hidden treasures. This is no ordinary burial ground, more a mini-metropolis of extraordinary tombs. Some are extravagant, some are beautiful, almost all are striking in one way or another. It's also of great historical interest - several leading politicians are buried here, including Salvador Allende, and there is a memorial to all those who disappeared during the Pinochet years.
Profesor Alberto Zañartu 951
Tel: (02) 737 9469.
Website: www.cementeriogeneral.cl
Opening hours: Daily 0830-1800.
Tours of Santiago
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