Museum sights in Iquique
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Edificio de la Aduana & Museo Naval
Meter-thick walls enclose this haughty colonial-style customshouse, built in 1871 when Iquique was still Peruvian territory. Peru incarcerated prisoners here during the War of the Pacific, and the building would later see battle in the Chilean civil war of 1891. The Aduana houses a small naval museum with artifacts salvaged from the sunken Esmeralda, a plucky little Chilean corvette that challenged ironclad Peruvian warships in the War of the Pacific.
The ship was captained by Arturo Prat (1848-79), whose name now graces a hundred street maps, plazas and institutions. In an impassioned speech aboard the Esmeralda, Prat swore to die in battle and challenged his officers to…
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Regional Museum
Iquique’s former courthouse now hosts the catch-all regional museum, which earnestly recreates a traditional adobe altiplano village (complete with mannequins in Aymara dress). The surrounding chambers also have some attention-grabbing exhibits, from animal fetuses floating in formaldehyde to masked Chinchorro mummies and elongated Tiwanaku skulls. Interesting photographs also explore Iquique’s urban beginnings, and a fascinating display dissects the nitrate industry.
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Military Museum
Iquique’s little military museum features a patriotic parade of exhibits on the War of the Pacific. The enthusiastic guard usually allows guests to wield an original cavalry sword.
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