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Museo Arqueologico Padre le Paige
Toconao and Padre Le PaigeAbout
Founded in 1955, this museum near the plaza is one of the town's highlights, displaying one of South America's most fascinating collections of pre-Columbian artifacts, gathered by Padre le Paige, a Belgian missionary. The Atacama Desert is so arid that most of the staggering 400,000 artifacts are well preserved, including hundreds of ceramics, textiles, tablets used for the inhalation of hallucinogens, tools, gold and silver ceremonial masks, and more, all clearly displayed according to time period. The unquestionable highlights here are the well-preserved mummies, including the legendary "Miss Chile," a female mummy with her legs curled up to her chest as in contemplative repose. It is remarkable to view the bits of skin that remain intact and the Pocahontas-style braids that are draped down her chest. There is also a creepy display of skulls that shows how the elite once used cranial deformation as a show of wealth. The Atacama art exhibition hall features artwork by local artists.
