salesian museum

I have been reading about Patagonian history for many years, and here it is possible to see a very important part of it, in photos, testimonies, and souvenirs. Even part of the mythic "milonón", made famous by Bruce Chatwin in "in Patagonia".

We visited this old-fashioned museum while killing time in Puntas Arenas. Think stuffed animals and photos of white guys converting the "natives" and building model ships for fun. We had lots of time so read all the info on the walls. It turned out to be a terrific education that served us well as we travelled through Patagonia and added depth to our trip. Have fun!

This museum teach us both nature and history of Patagonia. This is the place that kids can learn many things.

You find all kind of things in this Muesum, from stuffed animals, to ship models, church relicts, etc.

Although we are generally not "museum people" we enjoyed this one. It is fairly small so you can see most of it in under an hour. It gives a good overview of how Patagonia was first settled, what happened when the Europeans, arrived, etc.

We had a little trouble locating this museum, until someone pointed to the Church which is both behind and attached to it. We felt it was well worth visiting. Before this trip we had known that the indigenous people seen by Darwin were virtually extinct, but we had thought it was mainly from diseases caught by contact with outsiders, and not that they had been deliberately removed and often killed.The Natural history part was quite useful for identifying animals we had seen, but most specimens had seen better days, or had not been processed well, perhaps amateur taxidermists!!! The Methanex section was well laid out, and of course their reinvestment in Punta Arenas is improving the general feel of the town.Certainly worth visiting on a wet day, and probably the best of the Museums in Punta Arenas.

Good museum with a lot of local history. If you want to know more about this area you must go there. Ask also the museum staff about any question and they will be glad to answer your questions .

If, like me, you have little or no knowledge of the area's history, this museum is a handy introduction to the local fauna, a bit of indigenous and colonial history and a bit of modern history, too. However, the displays are clearly very old and tired; some look to be decades old, especially the taxidermy exhibits. But a visit here gave me a basic body of knowledge upon which I built when I started reading more about the area.

Learned the history of the indigenous peoples here that was preserved by the Catholic priests who came to "convert" them. The lives of the devout was certainly rough and rigorous in the freezing windy Patagonian mountains. The views of Antarctica are helpful on the 2nd floor. Though not modernized, this was an informative stop.

The museum's contents are extensive and interesting but:1. The translations are poor 2. The lighting on the informative panels is often dim and makes for difficult reading3. There is no real common theme or continuity between the halls and exhibition areas - more thought is required here.

The museum is certainly nice, it has a lot of EVERYTHING, from replicas of local animals to historical pieces used by the indigenous people of the area, which by the way they introduce to you. It is nice to see other tribes being acknowledged besides the typical one.The confusing part of the museum is that it mixes the history of the region and its people with the history of the Salesian Order, thus making it something difficult to understand it as a whole.Nevertheless, the experience is simply worth it and should be visited by all means.

...to think that the Salesian order has so much time, money and influence to collect and display the objects here. And even more scary to think that the order was a partner (perhaps a minor one) in the extermination of the indigenous people of this region......So visit and reflect.

A beautiful and well organized display of objects, photographs, dioramas that show the past and evolution of this part of the world. Wonderful and unforgettable.

It gives you a very goog idea of the land, animals and the people that used to live there. It has a nice and easy distribution. Check out Father's D'Agostini climbing gear¡¡

We stopped into this museum on the suggestion of a fellow traveler in Punta Arenas. It gives a good insight into the history, flora and fauna of the area. Worth a visit.