La Chascona, Historic house museum in Bellavista, Santiago, Chile.

La Chascona is the Santiago house of poet Pablo Neruda, at Fernando Márquez de La Plata 192 in Barrio Bellavista, on the slopes of Cerro San Cristóbal. Built from 1953 by Catalan architect Germán Rodríguez Arias with Neruda editing the plans, it consists of three separate structures linked by gardens and stairways. The museum holds his collections of books, ship figureheads, shells and bottles.

Neruda bought the land on the slopes of Cerro San Cristóbal in 1953 and had the house built with Catalan architect Germán Rodríguez Arias, editing the plans himself. Matilde Urrutia lived there alone until February 1955, when Neruda left his second wife Delia del Carril. Neruda died on 23 September 1973 and was laid in state here; Matilde restored the house damaged after the 11 September coup and lived in it until her death in January 1985. It was declared a National Monument in 1990.

The name La Chascona comes from Matilde Urrutia's curly red hair; chascona is a Chilean term of Quechua origin for tangled hair. The house holds Neruda's collections of figureheads, shells and bottles from around the world, and a 1955 Diego Rivera portrait of Urrutia hides Neruda's profile in her hair.

La Chascona stands at Fernando Márquez de La Plata 192 in Barrio Bellavista, on the slopes of Cerro San Cristóbal, and is reached on foot from the Pío Nono area. The museum occupies three separate structures linked by garden paths and stairs, so allow time to move between them. The Estravagario cultural space, opened in June 2013 next to the gardens, hosts recitals and book presentations.

The name La Chascona comes from Matilde Urrutia's tangled red hair, a Chilean Spanish term of Quechua origin. In the house hangs Diego Rivera's 1955 portrait of Urrutia with two faces: one for her public life as a singer, one for her private life with Neruda. Neruda's profile is hidden in her painted hair, alluding to their secret relationship.