From 27–29 October, Chile hosted the first-ever meeting of maritime museums from across Latin America and the Caribbean, marking a historic step towards greater regional collaboration within the International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM) network. The “Encuentros / Encounters” workshop was developed out of the ICMM Global Maritime Histories Project: Case Studies for Change Phase 1 projects funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation.
“Encounters” was a workshop organised by Chile’s National Maritime Museum in Valparaíso, and the Esmeralda Corvette Museum. It brought together representatives from 25 museums across 11 countries, creating a unique space for knowledge-sharing and cultural exchange.
The initiative grew out of discussions at the ICMM Congress in Halifax in 2022, where delegates highlighted the particularly low participation of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking museums in ICMM (just 5.5% of total membership at the time). Barriers such as limited awareness, financial constraints, and political instability had hindered engagement, leaving much of the region’s maritime heritage underrepresented globally.
The “Encounters” workshop aims to change that by fostering connections among museums, both ICMM members and non-members, and amplifying the rich maritime history of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Representatives from 25 museums in 11 countries participated in the workshop, including:
Mexico: Naval Museum of Veracruz and Historical Naval Museum of Puerto Vallarta.
Costa Rica: National Museum of Costa Rica, Panama.
Panama: Panama Canal Museum.
Curaçao: Association of Museums & Heritage of Curaçao.
Colombia: Naval Museum of the Caribbean.
Ecuador: Maritime Museum of Guayaquil, Contemporary Naval Museum, and BAE Abdón Calderón Naval Museum.
Peru: Naval Museum of Callao.
Brazil: Directorate of Historical and Documentary Heritage of the Brazilian Navy (DPHDM) and Aleixo Belov Museum of the Sea, Salvador do Bahia.
Uruguay: Maritime Museum and Navigation Center of Montevideo.
Argentina: ARA Uruguay Corvette Museum; ARA Presidente Sarmiento Frigate Museum; Archaeological, Port and Maritime Museum of La Boca, Buenos Aires, and Maritime Museum of Ushuaia.
Chile: Maritime Museum of Arica; Historical Museum of Puerto Montt and Casa Pauly Cultural Center, Puerto Montt; Naval and Maritime Museum of Iquique; RH Huáscar Museum, Talcahuano; Prat’s Birthplace Museum, Ninhue; Naval and Maritime Museum of Punta Arenas; National Maritime Museum, Valparaíso; Esmeralda Corvette Museum, Iquique and Chilean Maritime Heritage Corporation.
The Opening Ceremony for “Encounters” took place on the morning of the 27th and was attended by the Mayor of Valparaíso, government heritage authorities, cultural organisations, directors of museums in Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, community organizations, directors and representatives from academia, NGOs, sponsors, and private cultural managers, bringing together approximately 100 participants.
The Mayor of the city, Ms. Camila Nieto Hernández, highlighted the importance of the port city hosting international events of this magnitude. She said, “We are very pleased that Valparaíso is hosting this meeting, a city intrinsically linked to the sea, with its port vocation. Every hill in our city and every house seems to face the sea, therefore, we know that the history of the National Maritime Museum makes it the perfect space to welcome the delegations from the different participating countries, whose curators come to exchange experiences for three days, which we hope will be fruitful for everyone.”
Similarly, the former Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and President of the Chilean Maritime Heritage Corporation, Admiral Juan Andrés De la Maza, highlighted that one of the Corporation’s objectives is to support the constant improvement of maritime, naval, or sea-related museums, both from a museology point of view and in the development of internationally significant activities such as “Encounters.”
Furthermore, Marcelo Weissel, Director of the Archaeological, Port, and Maritime Museum of La Boca, Buenos Aires, commented on this event, stating, “It’s an unprecedented experience; in that sense, it’s historic and allows us to speak the same language, about the same problems and the same futures. Because what cultural heritage offers is that we have to take care of it, and we know that we will continue to do so in the future. Cultural heritage allows us to project ourselves into the future, and from a maritime perspective, from navigation, we have been exploring those horizons, those other shores that we don’t see, and which are so interesting to navigate.”
The workshop also provided an opportunity for student Carlos Ausejo to provide an online update for attendees on the research work he is currently undertaking with the support of Lloyd’s Register Foundation (LRF) through the Centre for Port Cities and Maritime Cultures at the University of Portsmouth (UK). Carlos is pursuing his dream of studying maritime history in Portsmouth as part of the project called, Sail to Steam, Carbon to Green: Empowering Port Communities in the Global South. The funded scholarship is focused on the port city of Callao, which is only 10kms from his home in the Peruvian capital of Lima.
Andrés Rodrigo, Director of the National Maritime Museum of Chile, indicated that “Encounters” would not have been possible without the support of ICMM and the Lloyd’s Register Foundation and thanked them sincerely for their much appreciated support. He said, “This workshop was more than a meeting, it was the beginning of a network. By sharing experiences and strategies, these museums are paving the way for greater visibility and influence in the global maritime community.”
*Please note that sessions are in Spanish, however you can access auto-generated translations to your preferred language by using the ‘CC’ and ‘Settings’ buttons at the bottom right of each YouTube video.