With the aim of bringing science and culture to the community, and highlight the historical and geographical value of Calama, the Natural History Museum and Cultural the Atacama Desert, dependent Corporation of Culture and Tourism Calama , continuously receives visits, which average 3 5 0 people monthly.

Although samples are suitable for everyone, most visitors are student delegations from the 2nd region, accompanied by teachers who arrive at the museum in order to complement and deepen contents.

This is the case of the 4th A course of the “Escuela 21 de Mayo” (21th May School), which reached the premises of the institution at the end of August. “We came to reinforce what we are seeing in class with the students, in a way very motivating way for them, the experience is really good, because contextualize the theory from classes to an open reality “explains the teacher Adriana Puentes

The opinion of the teacher is shared by her students, who throughout the tour were very curious and excited. “I liked everything because it gives you a lot of knowledge. I suggest that all children come here to learn,” says Leonardo who is 10. His impressions are similar to those of his partner Abril, who regretted not having taken his cell phone to take pictures of everything. ” everything looks so nice! The birds, and especially the dinosaurs. I had never seen how they were so I want to return with my family, soon” declares the minor.

The interest expressed by the students, when visiting the rooms that encompass wonders of nature, mineralogy and land formation, Jurassic geology, Pleistocene and current fauna, is supported by an organized guided tour. “They come to discover and be impressed. The idea is that they are internalized, and that they also leave with concerns, which may lead them to become interested in any of these areas in the future. That is why we show these animals, which have been found now, after millions of years of permanence on our planet. The aim is that they see these advances and motivate them to contribute to the investigation also”, says Ana Vásquez, Head of Administration and Guide.

Therefore, with the idea of ​​enhancing curiosity based on a regional and personalized focus support, they are able to adapt each of the samples to the different audience attending. This action is valued by teachers, such as Gloria Álvarez, from “Andrés Bello School”, who along with other colleagues went to the museum with a group of 34 students from 1st grade. “We are working with all the elements of the northern zone, so we came up with the idea of ​​deepening it by looking specifically at those who live in our area. I did not know the museum, so I told the students to come and see animals, and as I have found dinosaurs, I am as fascinated as they are with this unique experience,” explains the Generalist Professor. “It is very effective and meaningful for them to be able to go out to the field, and see in a more practical way, everything we project as an image in the room since you live it in a different way”, she states.

Just like Gloria, her little students were amazed throughout the tour. “I really liked the Tyrannosaurus Rex. I’ve always imagined it, because I love it and here, I saw it and I could learn more from it. That is why I would recommend other children to come and find things that existed many years ago, such as minerals, for example,” says Fernando, 6 years old.

The invitation he extends is backed by his partner Neha, who also recognizes that this is the first museum he visits in the city. “I thought it was spectacular, everything is very nice, dinosaurs, their skulls, knowing how the planet formed, seeing animals and everything. I would tell everyone to come to know things that they are going to love,” explains the 7-year-old girl, making it clear that the role of the agency that seeks to relieve research in earth and life sciences, rescuing local heritage , it is fully fulfilled .

The Museum of Natural and Cultural History of the Atacama Desert presents an exhibition at the former North American Chilean Institute (Ichnac) located in the former Mining Camp.

​The exhibition portrays the social aspect of those who inhabited this place when Chuquicamata turns 104 years of history. The work was done by the, belonging to the Corporation of Culture and Tourism of the city of Calama.

An emotional walk that moves those who lived in Chuquicamata until those years when they shared a life of sacrifice and which it remains in their memories. Enrique Cortés, who was born in the old hospital of the town states while touring the museum that the feeling related is mostly nostalgia, because he studied at the Liceo América and “seeing all this gives grief and joy because they are 40 years old that I did not return to this beautiful land”.

“I studied English for 6 months with my sisters, here, where the museum is: I hope everyone can feel the great memories and hopefully remember them,” Cortes added. Another perspective is brought by Magdalena Bugueño, who left Chuquicamata 45 years ago. She told the press that she returned for the first time to Chuquicamata since she left. She was married here, his father worked on the mineral and remembered that the ashtrays used by her father who worked in the refinery. “He used to throw copper into bowls for decoration”. She also found some bottles of mineral water, drinks and beers that were packed in 12.

Children were also part of the exhibition. Students from the Valentín Letelier School toured, met and asked about the history of Chuquicamata. “I enjoyed it very much and there were many beautiful things which caught my attention as the Copper Man,” said one of the students.

A great effort was shown by the museum area of the Corporation of Culture and Tourism of Calama, led by Osvaldo Rojas, who highlighted the historical significance of the mineral on its anniversary. “We wanted to be present again bringing an exhibition of heritage character which includes the most important values of social development in Chuquicamata that is oriented to the society that existed in the camp,” said the director.

Rojas added that in the exhibition “there are toys, books and objects that were used by miners daily in the past and, through this exhibition, they evoke the memory which is opened like a window in time to be present in the current Chuquicamata “.

The director also commented that Chuquicamata was not absent from the history of the towns that arise through Chilean mining.

Many inhabitants were born in the camp or directly came to town when they were children, but “when you talk about the 20s or 40s, you only mention numbers and if you start thinking and trying to meet those thousands of people you discover many experiences, experiences and much contribution to the development of communities, “he said.

104 years of mineral history and much more can be found in the museum. The exhibition will bring you back to the best years of the great Chuquicamata. It will be presented until Sunday, and it will be located in the former North American Chilean Institute (Ichnac).

With the aim of continuing to contribute to the formation and identity building of the students of the commune, the Museum of Natural and Cultural History of the Atacama Desert, inaugurated a new version of the educational project that over the last five years, has soaked in culture, the loin classrooms.

Composed of the exhibitions “Dinosaurs of northern Chile” and “Ruta de cobre Atacameño”, the exhibition inaugurated at the Leonardo Da Vinci College on May 9, has as its main goal to transform into a complementary learning tool, but characterized by its strong roots with the area.

“We want to show the variety of natural manifestations offered by our desert, to make better known the memorable facts of our geological past, and we believe that the effort should be mainly focused on youth, for it will be the heir to the cluster of knowledge of the origin of life on earth, and the continuation of our research work. That is why this program disseminates the subjects that help us to know in a different way the territory that we inhabit”, says Osvaldo Rojas, Director of the museum, in reference to the exhibition that will be presented in different establishments the rest of the year.

In particular, they are pieces of different collections that comprise biological, evolutionary, social and cultural processes of the region that, accompanied by a talk, allow students to approach the contents in a playful and interactive way. “We know that kids don’t get much of a rock with a bone, so our idea is to show the real fossil itself, but accompanied by a mock-up so we can explain how the process of fossilization, or how many millions of years ago these animals lived here on earth. Sometimes they tend to see it more as science fiction, so witnessing all this impresses them a lot,” says Jennyfer Rojas, MuHNCAL Paleontology Specialist.

In addition to prehistory, the project includes a sample around the ancient inhabitants of the region, and how copper had been processing copper in elements of ritual use since ancient times. This theme is complemented by the exhibition of a replica of the “Copper Man”, which allows them to investigate around this discovery, its current state and its future.

Given their powerful connection to the reality of the students, the interest of both themes in them begins to be reflected during the montage the day before. “It’s not just kids who are surprised when they see us coming in with huge models. It also happens with assistants and teachers who stay for the talk. That is why it is a very enriching activity for us, because we see interest from the whole community”, explains the specialist who, in response to that trust, tries to be as informed as possible, to deliver a completely updated sample. “In fact that’s the main reason we keep this program, and we’re updating it according to new discoveries, because logically from 2015 until now a lot has happened,” he adds.

It is worth mentioning that, although the ages of the public vary constantly, professionals adapt to them without problems, being able to bring a part of each museum collection to the educational communities and, above all, to leave in them a footprint that is reflects on the interest they arouse each time a new roadmap is defined.

In order to promote education and historical roots with the region, two exhibits from the Museum of Natural and Cultural History of the Atacama Desert, linked to dinosaurs from northern Chile, and traditional Andean culture, were exhibited in the inland town of Caspana.

According to Osvaldo Rojas, Director of MUHNCAL, these bodies seek to offer the whole community the opportunity to know in a different way the territory it inhabits. “We are on our mission to show the varied display of manifestations offered by our desert, to make a better understanding of the memorable facts of our past. To this end, the constant interest in the work we carry out on a daily basis vibrates: the promotion of knowledge of the conquest of life on this earth,” he explains.

For the fulfillment of this objective to be comprehensive, it is that in addition to the permanent samples that they house in their dependencies, they have other itinerants, which in this case take them to the Ethnographic Museum of Caspana with the exhibitions: “Dinosaurs of the north of Chile”, and “Rescue and value of heritage photographs that portray traditional Andean life and culture (1940-1975)”, which in addition to encompassing an extensive historical period, are characterized by their strong roots with the area, capable of captivating both large like little ones.

This activity carried out by MUHNCAL, and promoted by the Museum and Heritage Area of the Culture and Tourism Corporation of the Illustrious Municipality of Calama, was present for a week in the town of Caspana with the purpose that this community could to come and observe a material sample of the life and cultural richness of their ancestors; goal that it has far fulfilled.