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About the institution
Churche of Chiloé.
The National Monuments Council, which was created in 1925, today oversees the preservation of more than 1,600 national monuments of which around a third are located in or near Santiago. These range from the San Francisco Church in downtown Santiago to the remains of an Inca fort on hills near the city’s San Bernardo suburb.
Many nature sanctuaries are also under the care of the National Monuments Council. They include, for example, the Huasco Salt Flat in northern Chile and the island off the Cachagua beach resort in central Chile.
The National Monuments Council's work includes approving requests for the declaration of national monuments and the so-called “typical areas” - streets or neighborhoods that have retained their traditional characteristics - and it must approve any intervention of properties under its protection.
The National Monuments Council authorization is required before anything under its protection or in the collections of a state museum can leave the country. It is also responsible for applying the UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and it collaborates in combatting trafficking of cultural objects.
Since 2000, the National Monuments Council has coordinated celebration of the country’s Cultural Heritage Day, which takes place on the last Sunday in May. As well as offering an opportunity to visit the country’s museums free-of-charge, this is also a chance to visit buildings, like the Chilean Central Bank and the former Congress building in Santiago, that are not normally open to the public.
The National Monuments Council has an Education and Outreach Area that offers seminars, workshops and talks and organizes travelling exhibitions on different topics.
Resources
The National Monuments Council’s resources include:
- Document Collection: Information about national monuments declared since 1926, including the corresponding declarations and information about interventions.
- Bibliographic Collection and Roberto Montandón Paillard Library: Collection of monographs, theses and other publications and a multimedia archive.
