In the southern part of Antofagasta is a huge majestic stone building, which at first glance could be mistaken for an ancient structure of the Incas. However, the structure of the entire 125 years and is one of the largest factories in South America for the processing of silver, built in 1888 on the model of the American factory. The plant began operation in 1892, processing 200 tons per day rocks brought back from the silver mines and Pulakayo Opipo (Bolivia). But from an economic point of view, obtained 3, 85 tons of silver a month was not enough for normal operation of the company. In 1902 the company ceased operations due to lower prices for the products of silver in the world market, but also because of the outdated production technology operating at the plant.

Later, some of the buildings of the plant passed into the possession of the Chilean Army, the other part went to the Chilean Treasury. In 1964, the area with the destroyed buildings of the former plant was handed over to Northern University. In 1974, the ruins of Huanchaco been declared a historical monument in Chile.

Today this place is a park of culture and Huanchaco Museo del Desierto de Atacama (MDA), designed by architect Ramon Indeed, Marco Polidura, Eugenia Soto and Iñaki Volante. The museum building area of ​​2200 square meters has five exhibition halls, conference hall, offices, warehouses and laboratories for research, as well as a cafe and a gift shop.

The museum has collections of geology and paleontology. You can visit the permanent exhibitions. Among them - "Chamber of Mines" tells of the evolution of the tools used in the early twentieth century in the mining industry. The exhibition "A window to the universe" was opened with support from the European Southern Observatory (ESO); on special panels you can see how the first galaxies were born, what dark matter and how to grow a "black hole." The permanent exhibition also tells the story of cities in the region of Antofagasta.

And in front of the museum is located, "Rock Garden" where you can see samples of rocks and minerals northern Chile, on the other side of the entrance is an exhibition with samples of spherical and flat limestone rocks with marine fossils brought from the Atacama Desert.

Also at the ruins it built a small amphitheater where concerts and shows, but rather a national monument in 2006, opened its doors to the casino.

Currently Huanchaco Cultural Park - one of the popular places among tourists when visiting Antofagasta.