You can travel around the world, visit all the temples and museums, climb to the top of the mountains and go down to the caves, and then come to the small country of South America, Chile, and enjoy the sights of one of its cities. All of America was built on the ruins of ancient civilizations, but only in Antofagasta can you see the ruins of the plant that is recognized as the country's National Monument. You might think that this is a very old factory, but the building is only 125 years old.

It is the largest silver foundry in South America. Its construction began in 1888. Then two companies, the local Chilean and Bolivian companies that owned silver mines in Bolivia, signed an agreement to transport silver from the Bolivian mines to the city of Antofagasta for a future foundry.

The grand opening took place in 1892. And a year later the entire production process was put on stream. 1200 workers daily processed 200 tons of rock brought from the mines of Bolivia. Each month they received about 4 tons of pure silver. However, this was not enough for the company. In 1902, the foundry finally ceased operations, and all of its property was sold.

Later, some parts of the factory were given to the Chilean army for the construction of the military chapel of Our Lady of Carmen. Most of its territory was transferred to Northern Catholic University in 1964. And 10 years later the ruins of the foundry were included in the list List of National Monuments of Chile.

Today, the former factory is home to Huanchaca Culture Park and the Atacama Desert Museum with an area of ​​more than 2000 sq m. The five rooms of the museum feature permanent exhibits of geological and paleontological collections. Not far from the museum, there is a small amphitheater, where Christmas concerts of the symphony orchestra and fantastic fireworks are held annually.