For most visitors, the highlight of this archaeological and historical museum is without rather than within the building—on the grounds stands one of only half a dozen moai, the large enigmatic statues, to have been removed from Easter Island [1] (Rapa Nui), Chile’s distant Pacific island territory./p>
Rapa Nui is the museum’s specialty (its Biblioteca William Mulloy is one of the world’s finest collections of printed material on the island), along with Chilean natural history in general; while the main library has moved to Rapa Nui itself, copies of most of the material remain here.
The Museo Fonck (4 Norte 784, tel. 0322/686753, www.museofonck.cl [2]) is open 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday and 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Sunday. Admission costs US$4 for adults, US$0.50 for children.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chile/-chilean-pacific-islands/rapa-nui-easter-island
[2] http://www.museofonck.cl