Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos in Santiago, Chile

The Museum of Memory and Human Rights

A glass wall in the museum that on the first floor has photographs of army men running with weapons out and on the second floor has photographs of victims of the dictatorship.
View of some of the displays in the Museum of Memory and Human Rights in Santiago, Chile.

The Museum of Memory and Human Rights is dedicated to remembering and commemorating the victims of human rights violations committed in Chile during the last Chilean military dictatorship from 1973 – 1990. 

This museum is a very significant museum in Santiago. If you only plan on visiting one museum in your trip, or you only have a short amount of time in Santiago, I would prioritize seeing this museum. 

Visiting the Museum of Memory and Human Rights:

Free admission.

Open Tuesday – Sunday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Closed Mondays and certain holidays. 

Information sign at the entrance of the museum of memory and human rights in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. The sign says the museum is free and lists the opening hours.
Informational sign at the entrance to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights.

Getting there:

Matucana 501, Santiago, Chile

The easiest way to get to the museum is by using the metro system. The museum is located at the Quinta Normal station on line 5. 

The underground entrance to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights that connects directly to the subway station.
Entrance to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights from the metro station Quinta Normal.

There is a direct entrance to the museum from the station itself, which is easy to find. The main entrance to the museum is on the ground level. There is a large plaza in front of the museum.

The street level entrance of the museum which has a large open plaza in front and is shaped like a big green rectangle.
Street level view of the Museum of Memory and Human Rights in Santiago, Chile.

At the main entrance there are lockers for putting backpacks and other larger bags.

The Museum:

The museum is three stories tall, and has lots of exhibits. Many of the exhibits are interactive and have things to read, watch, or listen to. The museum is very informative, but almost everything in the museum is exclusively in Spanish.

Newspaper articles in Spanish that are printed on a large glass wall.
Display at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights.
Two people standing in front of television displays with headphones on. The televisions are playing archival footage. The wall around the television has text and graphics.
Television displays showing videos.

I would plan 2 – 3 hours to visit the museum. If you do not have much time, it is still worth going to the museum and seeing what you do have time for. I only intended to stop by briefly, but wound up spending much longer than I expected.

A television from the 1970's playing a news broadcast from the era. It is on a yellow pedestal in front of a yellow wall.
Media displays at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights in Santiago, Chile.

The museum has a cafeteria, and a gift shop. The gift shop is named, “La Tienda Nacional.” The store predominately sells books.

The glass wall of the gift shop. There are people on the other side of the window and a display of books.
The gift shop at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights.

The museum also has a section for scholarly research. The Centro de Documentación is located on the bottom floor of the museum.

A glass wall in front of a room with computers for research.
The documentation center.

Who was Pinochet?

In order to understand the museum, it is important to know who Pinochet was. Augusto Pinochet lived from 1915 – 2006. He was the dictator of Chile from 1973 – 1990.

Pinochet was the Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army under President Salvador Allende. On September 11, 1973 he led a a coup d’etat, which has support of the United States, and took control of the government. 

Under his rule, engaged in cruel and extreme tactics to suppress any opposition. He changed the structure of the government to allow his rule to continue. Pinochet was involved in the execution of between 1,200 – 3,200 people. His regime also conducted wide-spread torture and ran internment camps. 

In the aftermath of the coup d’etat over 40,000 people suspected of political opposition were sent to the National Stadium. These people were tortured, killed, or disappeared.

Pinochet died in 2006, with many criminal charges still pending against him. He was indicted for charges arising out of the “Caravan of Death” which was a death squad that used helicopters to cover the length of the country, but died before he could stand trial.

Near the Museum:

The museum is located at the metro station Quinta Normal on Line 5.

There are many other things to do in the neighborhood. Quinta Normal is a park that is right next to the museum.

Museo Violeta Parra is located in the park, as well as the National Museum of Natural History.