In the town of San Pedro de Atacama is a large Archaeological Research Institute and Museum of Gustavo Le Paige led the Catholic University del Norte with a large collection of finds: approximately 450 thousand artifacts and ethnographic objects of pre-Columbian era of culture Atacama, found in the region .

The museum is named after its founder, a Jesuit missionary father Gustavo Le Paige from Belgium. He made great efforts to preserve the archaeological heritage of the region of Atacama, creating one of the most important archaeological and ethnographic collections of Chile and Latin America. The dream of his father Gustavo Le Paige - construction of a building to house the museum contains unique archeological material, came true on Jan. 6, 1963. It was built in the first hexagonal pavilion of the museum.

Father Gustavo Le Paige, not only led the excavation, but also carefully record the excavation of graves of pre-Columbian culture of the region of Atacama, with its 11,000-year history - the various elements of the situation constituting each grave .  Thus, in the museum were their handwritten notes, which constitute the main source of studying the lives of people who inhabited the area pre-Columbian .  Some of the artifacts were made for certain rituals that were used to inhale hallucinogenic substances and tobacco during religious ceremonies .  One of the most important exhibits of the museum are about 4,000 skulls, innumerable mummies, dress llama fiber, clay containers of various shapes, metal, wicker work, items made of wood and bone, very fine processing and high complexity of manufacture .  Knives and spears for hunting, processed by a special method of grinding and processed animal skins .