' A look at National Historical Museum, Santiago De Chile' - by K J S Chatrath

The museum has been installed since 1982 in the " Palacio de la Real Audiencia ", also called " Palacio de la Independencia ", on the north side of the Plaza de Armas in Santiago , dating from 1808 . It is one of the three museums in the city that has the national rank , along with the Fine Arts and Natural History museums. Colonial furniture, weapons, paintings, historical objects and models chart Chile's colonial and republican history at the Museo Histórico Nacional. After a perfunctory nod to pre-Columbian culture, the ground floor covers the conquest and colony. Upstairs goes from independence through Chile's industrial revolution and right up to the 1973 military coup – Allende's broken glasses are the chilling final exhibit. It is said that the oldest mummies in the world are found in this museum, being 7400 years old. It makes than 2000 years older thean the Egyptian mummies. Fifteen of these were put into CAT scan in late 2016. Scientists hope to learn more about the mummification process used by the Chinchorro people of Chile. The 15 mummies were of women and children and scientists have noted that different preservation techniques were used. Though the exhibits are in Spanish, with free admission and interesting architecture, it is well worth a visit for non-Spanish speakers as well. Entry to this museum is free and one is permitted to take photographs without using flash. The broken glasses on display were worn by the elected civilian President Salvador Allende when he was shot dead in a coup by the Military 1n 1973.

(Text sourced from the internet)