Andes Tragedy and Miracle Museum, Museum in Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo, Uruguay
The Andes Museum 1972 occupies an old house built around 1850 at Rincón 619, in Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo, 27 metres east of Plaza Matriz. Its three levels hold 45 display cases of original objects and 50 information panels in Spanish and English, plus three videos. Remnants of colonial building remain: stone and brick walls, a vaulted ceiling and cast-iron columns.
In October 1972, a Uruguayan plane crashed high in the Andes and 16 people survived over two months at extreme altitude before rescue. The museum opened in 2013 to give this story a permanent home and honor all those affected.
The museum's name comes from the 1972 Andes crash and the 72-day survival of 16 Uruguayans, many from the Old Christians rugby club. Enlarged copies of letters by Gustavo Nicolich and Arturo Nogueira, two young passengers who did not return, are displayed. The collection also includes clothing and personal items kept by survivors or victims' families, each tied to a particular story.
The museum is located in Ciudad Vieja and can be reached on foot from most central points in Montevideo. It is worth checking the opening hours in advance, as they may vary depending on the day of the week.
Some of the objects on display were given directly by the survivors or their families and had never been shown publicly before the museum opened. This direct link to the people involved gives the collection a personal quality that goes beyond a typical crash memorial.
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