Paleontology is the science dedicated to studying fossils—remains left behind by living beings that existed in the distant past.

On display are fossils of ammonites, gastropods, bivalves, trilobites, and shark teeth that are over 12 million years old, as well as the skeletal remains of a mammoth that lived more than 10,000 years ago.

This period begins during the transition from the Pleistocene to the Early Holocene, around 10,000 years ago, marked by the earliest archaeological evidence of human presence in our peninsula.

This section showcases remarkable stone tools crafted by early humans for various purposes, such as choppers, scrapers, fiber extractors, and fragments of Clovis-type points, used as tools and weapons.

This section features reconstructions of the cultural traditions known as "concheros", along with funerary customs and rock art created by Baja California’s ancient inhabitants. It also presents stone, bone, and shell artifacts used in both ritual and daily life.

This exhibit recreates essential aspects of everyday life for the region’s early inhabitants. It includes a traditional dwelling known as a "wa", work tools, the acorn gathering process, and a touching necklace made of stone and shell—some pieces melted during the cremation rites of a young child. Also featured are early ceramic vessels characteristic of this era, as well as a finely crafted projectile point just one centimeter long, made from transparent quartz, among many other bone, shell, and wood objects.

Today, four native groups—descendants of the region’s earliest inhabitants—continue to live in areas once settled by their ancestors, often in oak groves and other traditional landscapes. The Cucapá are primarily located in El Mayor Cucapá and Pozas de Arvizu, Sonora; the Kumiai live in San José de la Zorra, San Antonio Necua, La Huerta, and Juntas de Nejí; the Paipai in Santa Catarina and San Isidoro; and the Kiliwa in Arroyo del León.

This section presents the most common crafts of each community, the diversity of their natural environments, and how they remain connected to these landscapes through their languages—all of which are critically endangered.

The missionary period in Baja California began in 1697 with the arrival of Jesuit missionaries. After their expulsion, the Franciscans took over evangelization efforts, followed by the Dominicans, who continued until the mid-19th century. The mission-era collection includes fragments of Chinese ceramics, wax remnants used to seal ships, tools, and clothing worn by native peoples at the time of first contact with missionaries.