List of National Monuments of Chile

This protection is managed by the Council of National Monuments (Spanish: Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales [CMN]) owing to the historical, artistic, scientific or commemorative value of those properties designated as national monuments, which represent the country's cultural heritage.

There are five categories of national monuments: The following lists tabulate all the country's monuments, organized by region: Law N° 17.288 concerning national monuments stipulates that: National monuments are places, ruins, constructions or objects of historical or artistic character; burial sites or cemeteries or other remains of aborigines, anthropo-archaeological, paleontological or natural formation pieces or objects, which exist under or on the surface of the national territory or underwater within its jurisdictional waters and whose conservation is of interest to history, art or science, and are under the custody and protection of the State; sanctuaries of nature; monuments, statues, columns, pyramids, fountains, plaques, crowns,[clarification needed] inscriptions and, in general, objects that are destined to remain in a public place, with a commemorative character.As of October 2008[update] there are 938 national monuments.

They are grouped into the following categories: Historic monuments are defined as: ...those places, ruins, constructions and objects of fiscal, municipal or private property that, due to their quality and historical or artistic interest or due to their antiquity, are declared as such by supreme decree, issued at the request and prior agreement of the Council.In the register of the National Monuments Council, there are 633 historic monuments as of October 2008[update].

These include Archaeologic monuments are defined as: places, ruins, deposits and anthropo-archaeologic pieces that exist under or on the national territory surface.As of October 2008[update], the register of the National Monuments Council lists 21 archaeological monuments.

These include: Urban or rural properties that form a unity and are notable by their style, materiality or constructiontechnique are designated as typical or picturesque zones: With the purpose to hold the environmental nature proper of some towns or places where could exist archaeologic ruins, or ruins and buildings declared Historic Monuments, the National Monuments Council can request to be declared of public interest the protection and preservation of these towns or places, or some zones of them.In the register of the National Monuments Council, as of October 2008[update], there are 95 typical zones.