The Museum is housed in one of Santiago’s most distinguished colonial buildings. It was built in 1805, in neoclassical style, and was originally home to the colonial government’s Royal Customs House. Permanent Exhibition: Chile before Chile More than 14,000 years ago, humans first stepped foot in the territory that is now Chile. Since then, different people have inhabited this diverse geography. In this exhibition, we invite you to learn about some of those ancient inhabitants and their descendants, the present-day indigenous people of Chile, whose genes, artistic expressions and epic histories are all part of our Chilean identity.