The Museo de Historia Natural (Condell 1546, tel. 0322/450405, mhnv [at] entelchile [dot] net) is open Tuesday–Friday 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and 2–6 p.m., weekends and holidays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. only. Admission costs US$1, US$0.50 for children and seniors, but is free Wednesday and Sunday.

In the resplendent Palacio Lyon, Valparaíso’s natural-history museum does much of what the Museo Naval y Marítimo has apparently abdicated, emphasizing the future of the oceans from an ecologically conscious—rather than simply strategic—point of view.

It also depicts, admirably, the diversity of pre-Columbian Chile and its culture through dioramas, but the natural-history specimens are a routine and disappointing effort at taxidermy. From an anthropological perspective, it holds ceramics from Peru, the Norte Grande, and the Mapuche borderlands.

In the building’s basement, reached by a separate entrance, the Galería de Arte Municipal (Condell 1550, tel. 0322/220062) features rotating fine-arts exhibitions. Hours are 10 a.m.–7 p.m. daily except Sunday; admission is free.