Through memory, we build the future.
We keep alive the stories and memories of the victims of Chile's dictatorship (1973–1990) to help build a future rooted in a deep commitment to democracy and an unwavering respect for human rights.
The Museum of Memory and Human Rights makes visible the systematic human rights violations committed by the Chilean State between 1973 and 1990. Through ethical reflection on memory, solidarity, and human dignity, it promotes respect for human rights, democracy, tolerance, and transparency. By preserving testimonies and educating new generations, the Museum helps strengthen the collective commitment to ensure these abuses are never repeated again.
The Museum of Memory and Human Rights preserves, researches, and shares the memories of the systematic human rights violations committed by the Chilean State between 1973 and 1990. Through its work, the Museum promotes a democratic culture grounded in human dignity, respect, inclusion, and an unwavering commitment to human rights. Through its permanent exhibition, temporary exhibitions, guided visits, teacher training programs, research, documentary preservation, and public access to memory archives, the Museum creates spaces for learning, reflection, and intergenerational dialogue, connecting historical memory with today's human rights challenges. Each year, thousands of students, educators, researchers, victims and their families, and national and international visitors strengthen their commitment to memory, truth, justice, human dignity, and democratic values through engagement with the Museum's programs and collections, so that such events never happen again.
Each year, the Museum of Memory and Human Rights strengthes human rights education and preserves historical memory through activities that reach diverse audiences in Chile and abroad. Through its activities, the Museum contributes to the development of citizenship, to reinforce democracy and the defense of human rights. As a result, more than 250,000 visitors come to the museum annually to experience and visit the main exhibition, temporary exhibitions, cultural events and educational and research activities. Among them, more than 20,000 students and teachers participate in guided tours, workshops, and educational activities, as part of a network of hundreds of educational institutions that use the Museum’s educational resources and training programs. Likewise, more than 15,000 people take part in free cultural activities such as seminars, panel discussions, film and theater series, exhibitions, book launches, and community gatherings. In this regard, people of all ages participate in programs focused on historical memory, democracy, inclusion, women’s rights, and reflection on contemporary human rights issues. Finally, the Museum preserves and makes available one of the country’s largest human rights archives, with more than 200,000 documentary records, testimonies, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and objects available for research and education. Additionally, the Museum has a digital community of more than 600,000 people on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok.
The Museum serves a broad national and international audience interested in historical memory and the promotion and protection of human rights. Its beneficiaries represent diverse ages and social and cultural backgrounds, with a focus on younger generations. Direct beneficiaries include victims of dictatorship, their families, and memory and human rights organizations, finding recognition, symbolic reparation, and the sharing of experiences in the Museum. Cultural and civil society organizations also benefit through the development of initiatives related to democratic culture, human rights, and civic engagement. School communities are a key beneficiary group, including elementary, secondary, and university education students throughout Chile, especially young people who did not experience the dictatorship. Teachers and educational teams who incorporate human rights education into their teaching are also direct beneficiaries. Researchers, academics, and university students use the Museum’s documentary collections and archives for study and research. Also, the national and international general public, engages with the Museum through exhibitions, educational programs, and cultural activities. Indirect beneficiaries include educational communities, civil society organizations, public and private institutions that use the Museum’s educational and research resources and the Chilean society benefits from the strengthening of a democratic culture based on respect for human rights.
