Chile Archives and Libraries

Chile Wiki Topics
Flag of Chile.png
Beginning Research
Record Types
Chile Background
Local Research Resources

Archives collect and preserve original documents of organizations such as churches or governments. Libraries generally collect published sources such as books, maps, and microfilm. This section describes the major repositories of genealogical and historical records for Chile.

If you plan to visit one of these repositories, contact the organization and ask for information about their collection, hours, services, and fees. Some archives have catalogs, inventories, and guides or periodicals that describe their records and how to use them. If possible, study these guides before you go to the archives so you can use your time more effectively. In some archives you may need a letter of recommendation in order to access their collection.

Although the original records you need may be in an archive or library, the Family History Library may have a microfilm copy of them.

Archives

Archive of the Archbishopric of Santiago (Chile)
Erasmo Escala, 1822
Box 30-D
Santiago de Chile
Website: Archive of the Archbishopric of Santiago (Chile)

This archive brings together various funds related to ecclesiastical, regular and secular administration. The information contained in these documents is of great interest for the study of indigenous groups, since it reflects various aspects of daily life as a result of the permanent contact that the indigenous people had with doctrine and missionaries.

National Archive of Chile (Archivo Nacional de Chile)
#50 Clasificador 1400 Correo Central de Chile Santiago 8320253
Telephone: 56 2 2997 8511/2 2413 5504/2 2413 5506/2 2715 5100/2 2715 5104
Email: archivo.nacional@archivonacional.gob.cl
Email #2: rrpp.an@archivonacional.cl
Email #3: arnad@archivonacional.cl
Website: Archivo Nacional de Chile
Website #2: National Archive of Chile
Website #3: Archivo Nacional de Chile
Website #4: National Archive of Chile

The National Archive must ensure the conservation, preservation and organization of documentary heritage, both public and private, and put it at the service of the community, giving access to all information. Dictate and regulate technical and administrative procedures for document management and for the development of user information services. Encourage the development of archives at the national level, exercising a normative and supervisory role, for the archival processes of the State administration institutions, according to the assigned law. Provide certification services and copy of the documents that it holds.

Regional Archive of Araucanía (Archivo Regional de la Araucanía)
Lautaro 1171
Temuco, Araucanía
Telephone: 56 45 273 0064/45 231 65 00/45 231 65 01
Email: archivo.araucania@archivonacional.gob.cl
Email #2: archivo.araucanía@dibam.cl
Website: Regional Archive of the Araucanía
Website #2: Archivo Regional Araucanía Temuco
Website #3: Regional Archive of la Araucanía turns 20
Website #4: Archivo Regional de la Araucanía

The archive's mission is to gather, organize, preserve and make available to the local, regional, and national community the documentary heritage of the Region of La Araucanía, a product of state and private management, in order to facilitate access to information for the community administrative, technical, legal, and historical. This management is oriented and helps to safeguard the rights and responsibilities acquired by the State and citizens, contributing to the construction of a democratic State and the cultural development of the country.

Regional Archive of Tarapacá (Archivo Regional de Tarapacá)
Arturo Prat 2120 Avenue
Iquique, Tarapacá
Baquedano 1073
Iquique, Tarapacá
Telephone: 56 57 222 2110/221 1118
Email: archivo.tarapaca@archivonacional.gob.cl
Website: Regional Archive of Tarapacá
Website #2: Regional Archive of Tarapacá Reopens Its Doors
Website #3: Historical Documents of the Regional Archive of Tarapacá

The archive's mission is to guarantee the people and communities of the Tarapacá Region access to information derived from State management, through its history and private action of public interest, contributing to the construction of a democratic State and cultural development both from the area and from the country. This implies gathering, organizing, preserving, preserving, investigating, valuing, and disseminating the documentation it houses.

Libraries

National Library of Chile (Biblioteca Nacional de Chile)
Avenida Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 651
Santiago
Telephone: 56 22 360 5272/5310
Email: biblio.nacional@bibliotecanacional.gob.cl
Email #2: biblioteca.nacional@bndechile.cl
Website: Biblioteca Nacional de Chile
Website #2: Biblioteca Nacional de Chile