Other Collections in the Museum
This collection includes: “Trarilonco”, which is an adornment made of silver links that have round pendants. It is used as a headband and is fastened at the nape; “Siquil”, or women’s adornment that is hung on a necklace or held in place with a broach; “Chaguay”, which are earings in different shapes, styles and sizes, made of hammered silver which was then cut with a chisel; “Tupus” or large pins with flat or spherical heads, used to wear shawls and as a lethal defense weaopn for the Araucarian woman.
How exciting to see a “Traripel” or necklace with silver beads, which is an adronment for the neck.
Europe
This beautiful collection inlcudes: the Louis XV style chiseled silver candelabras; the Directoire Style biscuit porcelein figures; the golden critsal pyxides with Napoleon’s emblem as well as the porcelain pitchers and vases, which were specifically made for the Marshall Joachim Murat, King of Naples between 1808 and 1814, and aide-de-camp to Napoleon in Italy.
Chilean Archaeology and Ethnography
The museum has a valuable Chilean archeology hall, which displays remains from Chile’s inidgenous cultures, including a collection of Mapuche jewelry, and indigenous canoe, as well as a grave goods from the north of Chile.
Natural Sciences
This attractive hall has a varied taxidermy collection, made up of birds, mammals and reptiles, among others. Pieces inlucde the shell of a turtle from the Galapagos Islands, as well as the heraldic condor and huemel, who appear on Chile’s coat of arms. Additionally, the hall has an interesting assortment of famous mineral and stone reproductions, such as the Regent, a famous diamond exhibited in the Louvre, in France.
This area also has a collection of fossils, which includes the molar of a mastodon from the Pleistocene period. This piece was collected in Carahue, Araucanía Region, Chile.
Weapons Collection
This collection is made up of a varaiety of weapons, ranging from crossbows to fine swords and foils. It also includes revolvers and their pearly adornments, an 18th century arquebus, a 16th century Florentine suit or armor, and a Samurai knight´s armor from the Tokugawa period, from the Shogun Yhemoshi era.
Ancient History
This collection attacts many visitors, as it contains one of the museum’s most important objects. In this hall, a display cabinet has an Egyptian mummy of PAS-SIT-F-OSHER. It was brought from Amen of Thebes, and is from the Saite Period (Dynasty XXVI), under the reign of the Pharoh Psemtek, in the year 666 Before the Common Era. This mummy was adquired by don Pedro del Río Zañartu in Alexandria in August of 1881, prior to to when mummies were forged. A collection of Ushabti, or small funerary figurines that were placed in the tombs, is also displayed in this hall.
American Ethnography
This interesting selection of ethnographic material has pieces from countries like Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Ecuador. In the case of the latter, we can observe three reproductions of shrunken heads, practiced by the Jivaroan peoples of the Amazon Rainforest. The collection also displays a beautiful ceramic collection from Peru, objects from Polynesia and a collection donated by Pablo Neruda.