The history of the mineral collection dates back to 1831, with the acquisition by the Director General of Mines of the Royal Academy of Freiberg (Saxony - Germany), of 309 pieces "Illustrative of the external characteristics of minerals" as described at the time.
Between 1831 and 1850, more collections were acquired, under the supervision of the Director General of Mines, among which, were those of Ciriaco González Carvajal - Vice-Dean of the Real Audiencia of México (1834), Fausto Fermín De Elhuyar - Director General of Minas and discoverer of wolframite (1835), and Dr. Roatzsch - mineralogist from Freiberg (1841).
By 1850, the Museum boasted some 4,228 pieces, acquired by the Director General of Mines, largely from historical European (Saxony, Bohemia, France, Cornwall) or American (Potosí, Guanajuato, Zacatecas, Peru, etc.) mines.
Other collections, also of great importance, after 1850, were those of Felipe Naranjo y Garza - Director of the School, Policarpo Cía y Francés (in 1863), the ‘Societé de la Nouvelle Montagne’ (who gave 78 pieces in 1872), and the Spanish Commission in Philadelphia, amongst others.
The General Mine Inspectorate of the Philippines sent 236 pieces to the School, pursuant to the decree of H.E. Governor-General of those islands on 8th July 1897.
Two other important collections, acquired in 1887 and 1923 respectively, are those of Amallo Gil y Maestre and Adolfo Prieto.
Initially the collections were ordered according to the regulations of LAPPARENT. The work was carried out by Luis Ferrat and Antonio Baselga, both professors at the school at the time.
Undoubtedly the most important donation, and the one that is best preserved, is that of the Marquis of the Ribera, who gave 2,841 pieces from the Marquis of Elduayen’s collection to the museum. This collection was catalogued in 1927, and recently (May 1990), completely revised, rearranged, and exhibited. The donor imposed the condition that the minerals should be displayed as a group, regardless of the rest of the Museum, and their origin should be clearly stated. The collection of the Marquis of Elduayen, mostly consisting of small crystallized specimens, is ordered according to the criteria of PHILLIPS, although in some points the ideas of DANA are followed.
