Archaeological Museum of La Serena, is located in the city center. It was opened April 3, 1943. In 1948 the museum moved under the management of the Office of libraries, archives and museums. The building, which now houses the Archaeological Museum of La Serena, was built during the urban renewal project in Coquimbo province "Plan Serena" from 1948 to 1952, during the reign of President Gabriel Gonzalez Videla. This project has given impetus to the development of economy, culture and tourism in the provincial region of Coquimbo.

Currently, the Archaeological Museum of La Serena has a valuable collection of cultures Atacama and Coquimbo. In addition, it kept the monumental Moai culture exhibit in the hall dedicated to Easter Island, and there are examples of rock carvings from Los Pelambres (Salamanca) Choapa Valley.

Also in the Archaeological Museum of Anthropology and History Library, which has in its archives colonial ancient manuscripts, as well as a documentary archive - newspapers and journals published in the region since XVII of the twentieth century. The museum has a photo archive with a large series of black-and-white and color images of archaeological and ethnographic studies, etc.

The stone portal of the museum building in the Baroque style dates back to 1820, he was part of the facade of an old colonial mansion, which belonged to Count Jose Pardo de Figueroa Recabarren - Mayor of La Serena in 1791. In 2012, the museum was expanded through the construction of another housing, designed to increase the area of ​​the exhibition halls. In 2014, the reconstruction of the exhibition halls of the old museum building.