Gabriel González Videla History Museum

La Serena, where the Gabriel González Videla History Museum is located, is Chile’s second oldest city, after Santiago. The Museum was created in 1984 as part of the celebration of the 440th anniversary of the city’s foundation.

As well as seeking to foster awareness of the history of the Coquimbo Region - of which La Serena is the capital, rather than the adjoining port of Coquimbo - the Museum is a tribute to the legacy of President Gabriel González Videla (1946-1952). Born there, he did much to promote the city’s development.

The building

The building in which the Museum is housed dates back to 1892 and, from 1927 to 1973, was owned by President González Videla. It was acquired by the state in 1977 and declared a National Monument in 1981.

With its interior courtyards, the house is typical of those built by wealthy families during the city’s economic boom in the late nineteenth century. Its walls are adobe while its inner partitions are of wood.

Inside the Museum

The Museum has a collection of more than 3,500 pieces organized into two areas:

• History. This area features the life and work of President González Videla, with furniture, objects, documents and photographs that belonged to him or the family. It provides an insight into both his domestic life and his public role, particularly as regards the development of La Serena.
  Other exhibits refer to the city’s history from the Colonial period through to the mid-twentieth century. They include objects such as the key to the door of the main entry gate to La Serena, an exhibit dating back to the walling of the city in the eighteenth century, and a gallery of portraits of early Regional Governors.

• Fine Arts. This area includes the Oscar Prager collection of contemporary Chilean art as well as 32 paintings on loan from the Central Bank of Chile. The artists represented include José Gil de Castro (1785-1841), Juan Francisco González (1853-1933), Onofre Jarpa (1849-1940) and Nemesio Antúnez (1918- 1993).