Chilean National Museum of Natural History

The Chilean National Museum of Natural History (Spanish: Museo Nacional de Historia Natural or MNHN) is one of three national museums in Chile, along with the Museum of Fine Arts and the National History Museum. It is located in Quinta Normal Park, and was founded in 1830 by the French naturalist Claudio Gay. History The museum is one of the oldest natural history museums in South America. It was founded on September 14, 1830 by the French naturalist Claudio Gay , commissioned by the Chilean government. Its first director was another Frenchman Jean-François Dauxion-Lavaysse. Its original mandate was the biology and geography of Chile, with a concentration on crops and mineral resources. The existing museum building was constructed in 1875 as a palace, or pavilion, for the Chilean International Exhibition . In 1889 departments of botany, zoology, and mineralogy were established. The National Museum Bulletin (Boletín del Museo. Exhibits and collections The central hall, with a sei whale skeleton The museum has twelve permanent exhibits: Biogeography of Chile, a long tunnel that fills much of the first floor Interactive children's games for terrestrial ecosystems The Central Hall exhibits, including a 17-meter skeleton of a sei whale Minerals, with an emphasis on the nitrate boom of the early twentieth century Insects, including large fossil dragonflies Mollusks Mesozoic era vertebrates, including a specimen of Carnotaurus sastrei Chilean timber Chilean archaeology Juan Fernández Islands Cultural anthropology, covering the Aymara , Mapuche , Selkʼnam , Rapanui.