The Natural History Museum of Valparaíso was created by educator Eduardo de la Barra in 1878, in two rooms of the Liceo de Hombres de Valparaíso, which allowed the development of the second oldest museum in Chile and the first one in the region. Back in 1879, the MHNV had a scientific library that contained 300 volumes of classical works on natural sciences and anthropology, in addition to an interesting collection of flora and fauna species collected or donated by the porteño society.

On November 15, 1988 and after wandering around different sites, the MHNV was reopened at the Lyon Palace, the work of architect and builder Carlos Von Moltke and declared a Historical Monument in 1979.