The paper describes the three years devoted to work for starting up the project Red de Archivos Patrimoniales de Valparaiso (ARPA). The project’s main goal is to create a community of individuals and institutions to help valuate and disseminate Valparaiso’s documentary heritage. This has involved developing a plan of action that denotes significant progress in the establishment of historical documentation centers. The major effort required by the project are evidenced by the implementation of training programs in archiving to improve the professional level of archival managers.