Palacio Astoreca, Iquique, Historic house museum in Iquique, Chile

Palacio Astoreca is a two-story mansion built in Georgian style around 1900 using Oregon pine, located in central Iquique with period features throughout. The building contains 27 rooms spread across roughly 1,100 square meters, decorated with original French furniture and detailed architectural elements.

Juan Higinio Astoreca, a Basque nitrate entrepreneur, commissioned the palace in 1903; it was finished in 1904, attributed to architects Alberto Cruz Montt or Miguel Retornano. Astoreca died before completion, and in 1909 his widow Felisa Granja sold the furnished house to the state. It housed the Tarapacá province intendancy until 1977 and was declared a national monument in 1994.

The house takes its name from Juan Higinio Astoreca, the Basque nitrate entrepreneur who ordered it built in 1903. Since 1994 it has been a national historic monument, and today the Universidad Arturo Prat runs it as a period museum and events centre. Its rooms host local and national artists, including Roberto Matta's 2009 print exhibition and Antonio Masini's large canvas El Tríptico de Iquique.

The building sits in downtown Iquique and is open on most weekdays, allowing visitors to explore the rooms at their own pace. Plan to spend enough time browsing the rooms and viewing the art displays throughout the mansion.

The entrance hall has an American oak floor and walnut skirting boards, lit by an Art Nouveau stained-glass window. The house was built of Oregon pine with mortar partition walls, covering about 1,100 square metres across 27 rooms. The furniture kept in the dining room, games room and a bedroom with its bathroom and dressing room belongs to styles such as neo-Louis XVI and French neo-Renaissance.