Sights in Antofagasta
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A
Museo Regional
Across the street, the former Aduana (customshouse) was originally erected in Mejillones in 1869; it was dismantled and transported here piece by piece in 1888. It now houses the Museo Regional, which contains simplistic displays on natural history, and prehistoric and cultural development. Artifacts include mummified babies, a deformed skull, early colonial tidbits and paraphernalia from the nitrate era, including toys fashioned from tin cans.
reviewed
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B
Plaza Colón
The British community left a visible imprint on Antofagasta's 19th-century Plaza Colón, which sports rushing fountains amidst its palms, mimosas and bougainvilleas. The cute Torre Reloj is a replica of London's Big Ben; its chimes even have a baby Big Ben ring to them, and tiled British and Chilean flags intertwine on its trunk. Pigeons provide amusement slipping into the shallow fountains with comical regularity.
reviewed
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C
Resguardo Marítimo
At the foot of Av Bolívar is the decrepit Muelle Salitrero (Nitrate Pier), where locals defy danger signs and fish for crabs. At the entrance to the pier is the former Resguardo Marítimo, a handsome chocolate-colored building with wooden balustrades, built in 1910. A wrought-iron passageway links it to the former Gobernación Marítima.
reviewed
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D
Train Station
The bottle green Train Station, built in 1887, is the restored terminus of the Antofagasta-La Paz railway, from where you'll still see freight trains shuttling their heavy load. It's closed to the public but you can see several old engines and British-style telephone boxes through the western railings.
reviewed
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Ruinas de Huanchaca
Hovering over the city, at the south end of Av Argentina, the imposing hillside foundations of a 19th-century British-Bolivian silver-refining plant offer some of the best panoramas of the city. From downtown take colectivo 3 and ask for Minas de Plata (silver mines).
reviewed
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E
Muelle Salitrero
At the foot of Av Bolívar is the decrepit Muelle Salitrero, where locals defy danger signs and fish for crabs. At the entrance to the pier is the former Resguardo Marítimo (Coast Guard), a handsome chocolate-colored building with wooden balustrades, built in 1910.
reviewed
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F
Torre Reloj
The Torre Reloj is a tiny replica of London's Big Ben; its chimes even have a baby Big Ben ring to them, and tiled British and Chilean flags intertwine on its trunk. Pigeons provide amusement slipping into the shallow fountains with comical regularity.
reviewed
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Barrio Histórico
British influence is palpable in the 19th-century Barrio Histórico, between the Plaza Colónand the old port, where handsome wooden Victorian and Georgian buildings still stand.
reviewed
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Archaeological Museum
At the southern extension of Av Bernardo O’Higgins, the Catholic University’s archaeological museum focuses on the Norte Grande.
reviewed
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Basilica Corazón de Maria
Head south from the city center to the Basilica Corazón de Maria, a lovely Byzantine-style church built in 1913.
reviewed
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