Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Chile

Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Chile

As a must-visit attraction for many tourists exploring Santiago, the capital of Chile, the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Chile offers an important window into the origins of Americans—including Chileans—, the evolutionary history of Chilean flora and fauna, and the formation of mineral resources.

Founded on September 14, 1830, the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Chile is one of the oldest museums in South America. At that time, the Chilean government aimed to document the evolution of key local flora and fauna as well as the development of mining. To this end, it established the Natural History Commission and hired French naturalist Claude Gay to lead the planning and execution. The current building of the museum was constructed in 1875, specially commissioned by the Chilean government for the first International Exposition of Chile and designed by the renowned French architect Paul Lathoud. In 1876, the museum moved into this neoclassical-style building, which houses research, conservation, education, and design departments dedicated to the study and popularization of Chile’s natural history.

Today, the museum showcases significant collections in anthropology, botany, zoology, mineralogy, and paleontology, featuring 12 permanent exhibition areas: Chile’s Biogeography, Terrestrial Ecosystems, a 17-meter-long blue whale skeleton in the Central Hall, Minerals, Insects, Mollusks, Mesozoic Vertebrates, Chilean Timber, Chilean Archaeology, Juan Fernández Archipelago, Human Cultures, and the Uses of Copper.

Chilean National Museum of Natural History

Why go: One of the oldest museums in South America

Continent: South America【South America】

Country/Region: Chile

Province/State: Santiago Metropolitan Region

City: Santiago