The Natural History museum was founded on September 14, 1830, by the French scholar Claude Gay, hired by the Chilean government to carry out a comprehensive study of Chile and to 'set up a museum of Natural History containing the main mineral and vegetable productions of the country’.
Since 1876 the museum has been housed in the premises of a neoclassical building at Parque Quinta Normal in Santiago, built by the French architect Paul Lathoud in 1875. It is located inside the Quinta Normal, west of downtown Santiago. There is easy access by public transport: you can take the Metro, Line 1, getting off at "Estación Central". Several bus services also go to Parque Quinta Normal.

It has a restaurant and cafeteria. The museum offers constant video and cinema cycles about different aspects of natural life and the history of mankind.

Guided tours to the permanent exhibitions are available and you should book them in advance with the museum administration.

The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10.00 to 17.30 hrs. Sundays and holidays it is open from 12.00 to 17.30 hrs (April to August) and from 11.00 to 18.30 hrs (September to March).
Its website is www.mnhn.cl/