Sights in La Serena
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A
Museo Histórico Casa Gabriel González Videla
Although richly stocked with general historical artifacts, this two-storey museum concentrates on one of La Serena’s best-known – and most controversial – sons. González Videla was Chile’s president from 1946 to 1952. Ever the cunning politician, he took power with communist support but then promptly outlawed the party, driving poet Pablo Neruda out of the Senate and into exile. As you might expect, the reverent exhibits omit such episodes. But do pop upstairs for a look at the general historical displays and changing modern-art exhibits.
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B
Museo Arqueológico
The crescent-shaped archaeological museum makes an ambitious attempt to corral Chile’s pre-Columbian past. Its highlights include Atacameña mummies, a hefty 2.5m-high moai (large anthropomorphic statues) from Easter Island and interesting Diaguita artifacts that include a dinghy made from sea-lion hide.
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C
Iglesia San Francisco
The granddaddy of all La Serena’s churches is colonial Iglesia San Francisco, two blocks southeast of Plaza de Armas, and built in the early 1600s. It’s a squat stone construction, with a chunky tower and fancy baroque facade.
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D
Iglesia Santo Domingo
The dainty-looking bell tower of Iglesia Santo Domingo looks as though it should have a twirling ballerina inside. The tower is a later addition, only a century old, though the attractive limestone church dates back to 1755.
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E
Iglesia San Agustín
Three blocks east of the Plaza de Armas, the august limestone Iglesia San Agustín was built by the Jesuits in 1755, then passed to the Augustinians after the Jesuits’ expulsion. It has undergone serious modifications.
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F
Kokoro No Niwa
With its trickling brooks, drifting swans and neatly manicured rock gardens, this Japanese garden makes a good escape from the city. It is at the southern end of Parque Pedro de Valdivia.
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G
Iglesia Catedral
The handsome neoclassical Iglesia Catedral dates from 1844; it also has a sobering museum of religious art.
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H
Tribunales
Tribunales was built as a result of González Videla’s Plan Serena.
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Cruz del Tercer Milenio
You won’t get to heaven on this ticket, but you will get a good dizzying view of the bay from atop the Cruz del Tercer Milenio, reaching for the sky above Coquimbo. A cross between a holy pilgrimage site and theme park, this whopping 93m-high concrete cross can be clearly seen from La Serena’s beaches. The cross contains a museum (largely devoted to the late Pope John Paul II), praying rooms and an elevator ride to the top. Mass is held every Sunday. The first level is free.
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Observatorio Turístico Collowara
This shiny new observatory is built for tourists; no serious interstellar research is conducted here, but the facility boasts a 40cm (16in) telescope for stargazing. Book at the ticket office in nearby Andacollo, and inquire there about transport to the hilltop observatory. Since the sessions are late, you can either stay overnight in Andacollo, or take an organized tour from La Serena.
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