Museums are Overrated

Or that's what I,  a Washingtonian living in Santiago, will tell myself.

Feeling a little ashamed of myself for not having stepped foot in one of the city's museums in the two months I've been here, I visited the Museo del Arte Precolombino (Museum of Precolumbian Art) this Sunday afternoon. My Lonely Planet guidebook said it's the best the city has to offer, and, to top it off, that it's free on Sundays. (Museum-going is a little too ambitious an activity for Santiaguinos on Sundays, so they have to incentivize it somehow).

It was a gorgeous day and it felt great to be outside, walking around the downtown, an area that, during the week I tend to avoid. I hopped off the metro at La Moneda and walked the few blocks to the museum.

Lonely Planet, you need to get your facts straight so that more people don't have not-so-friendly museum employees pointing to the information board saying, "No dice nada de free" (It doesn't say anything about free) when you express confusion at having to pay the entrance fee. That was setback number one. Now, I have no problem paying for museums. I get it. They have expenses, museums don't run themselves, those relics and paintings need taking care of, etc. But, you know how it is when you expect something to be free, and then it's not. Just a little irritating. Needless to say, I got off on the wrong foot in this place.

The building itself was very pretty, with airy courtyards separating the two parts--the permanent and temporary exhibits). There was even a little coffee bar in the courtyard where people were having muffins and cafe cortados, enjoying the afternoon sun.

However, that's pretty much where the museum's appeal ended for me. Aside from a couple impressive artifacts, like these chemamulls--wood statues that accompanied the deceased during their funerals in Mapuche culture--I found the collection dull and poorly organized.

Maybe it's just me, but when I'm in a museum I like to be given some direction. Hey, I'm not an expert on Precolumbian Art, that's what the museum designers are. So, I think it's nice when there's some sort of coherent layout, or plan that you can follow. I don't know, maybe organize the rooms chronologically, or by country, or indigenous tribe. Ok, yes, the artifacts were placed in cases according to some sort of theme--these are all made of jade, these are used for cooking, these were all found in one location--but I think the exhibit was really lacking an overarching structure that could give visitors a sense of the history of the indigenous peoples of South America and their various cultures.

So, Santiago, I don't know if I'll be spending any more Sundays in your museums. Since this one is apparently the best, and I was underwhelmed, I think I'd better stick to one of your many other charms.