Museum of Memory and Human Rights Free Walking Tour

Tour Details 

We’ll meet at the designated time in the plaza in front of the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, a true institution in Santiago, Chile. First, we’ll review the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, whose principles form the central theme of the entire tour.

Upon entering the museum, we’ll explore its reception areas and the specialized bookstore, and then head to one of the most interesting features on the first floor: a world map identifying the countries that have established official Truth and Reconciliation processes.

On this same floor, we’ll see a map of Chile marked with hundreds of crosses representing the detention centers, torture sites, and political prisons used during the military dictatorship.

The tour will continue on the next level, where we'll explore one of the most momentous events in contemporary Chilean history: the collapse of democracy. Through documents, photographs, radio recordings, and audiovisual material, we’ll follow a detailed chronology of the events of September 11, 1973, reconstructing, hour by hour, the unfolding of the coup d’état that brought an end to the constitutional government of President Salvador Allende.

We'll also explore the history of iconic sites such as Londres 38, Villa Grimaldi, and other clandestine detention centers used by the regime’s repressive agencies. Furthermore, as we walk through the museum’s halls, we'll see how much of the international community reacted to reports of human rights violations in Chile.

On the next level, we’ll explore the international scope of the repression by examining Operation Condor, the coordination among various South American dictatorships to persecute political opponents beyond national borders.

Next, we'll explore the experience of exile and the Chilean diaspora. Through testimonies, photographs, and personal artifacts, we'll learn the stories of those who were forced to leave the country and rebuild their lives in different corners of the world.

Finally, we'll reach the section that recounts the end of the dictatorship and the process of democratic recovery. We'll relive the citizen mobilizations of the 1980s, the historic 1988 plebiscite, and the path that led to the return of democracy in 1990.

After a 2-hour tour, we’ll conclude our visit by reflecting on the ongoing challenges of memory, truth, justice, and the defense of human rights, understanding why this museum not only preserves the past but also invites us to think about the present and the future of our society.

Groups

On our free tour, we do not accept reservations for groups of more than 6 people, even if the reservations are made separately.