- Address: Centro Histórico, Cusco, Peru
- Founded: 2003
- Official website: www.map.museolarco.org/
- Working hours: from 9.00 to 22.00 daily, Sunday - closed
- Ticket price: 20 salts, student - 10 salts
In the south-west of Peru is located an interesting museum, which houses 45 thousand unique exhibits created by the indigenous people of the American continent. The museum is dedicated to the art of the pre-Columbian period, that is, all objects were made before 1492 (before the discovery for America for Europeans). It is in the walls of the pre-Columbian art museum in Cusco that you can see the ceramic and jewelry of the long-forgotten Inca, Huari, Chima, Chankey, Urine and Nasca cultures, and it is here that you can look at the history of the real, not yet conquered by the immigrant crowds of American land.
A Brief History of Creation
The modern museum was opened relatively recently, in 2003. The first exhibits were brought from the storage of the museum of Larka. In general, the first museum, which became the basis of modern, was created in 1926. The initiator of the creation was made by Rafael Larko Herrera - a businessman and a great patriot of Peru. He was not an archaeologist, but for his life he collected an impressive part of the museum's collection.
Today the museum is located in the 18th-century vice-royal mansion in Cusco , which was built on the pyramid of the 7th century. Around the inconspicuous white building green gardens bloom.
Exposition of the museum
Collections of the museum include items belonging to a huge time interval - from 1250 BC to 1532. In total, the museum opened 10 thematic galleries. Some of them are devoted to such local cultures as urine, uri, nasca, chima, Inca and chankay. The content of the remaining galleries is quite expected: jewelry and precious stones, gold, silver and metals, wood products. In the very first hall a collection of things was displayed, later they formed the features of the material art of other cultures. The gallery of this room is called "formative".
In addition to the main halls, the exposition of the museum can boast a collection of textiles and ceramics from ancient Peru and the famous erotic collection of ceramics found during archaeological excavations. The latter is exhibited in a special "erotic" gallery. In the second half of the twentieth century Rafael Larko Hoyle seriously engaged in the study of sexual representations of the Peruvian art of the pre-Columbian period. In 2002 the collection was updated and supplemented with comments.
Visitors are allowed to enter the Holy of Holies - the storage area of the exhibits. All items are cataloged, classified by time periods and themes, so the museum guests can easily find a brief description of the subject interested in the subject. During the excursion you will be introduced to the stages of manufacturing ceramic dishes in pre-Columbian times, will give an opportunity to carefully consider the tools that were used to create ceramic products. In addition, you will find out what kinds of kaolin, that is, clays, were used in making all kinds of vases, and how they were decorated with the same kaolin.
Particularly curious visitors can go to the hall called "Great Culture". When creating the museum the hall was divided into four parts: the mountains, the south, the north coast and the center. Here you will learn the details of the way of life, traditions and customs of the tribes who lived in Peru from 7000 BC and conquered lands by Spain in the XVI century.
Helpful information
Getting to the museum is very simple. From the central square of Cusco (Plaza De Armas) to the museum of the pre-Columbian era on foot 5 minutes, no more. Follow via Cuesta del Almirante, then turn left. The cost of the ticket is 20 salts, however for students it is twice cheaper. The museum is open from 9 am to 10 pm every day, except on Sundays - this is a day off. Excursions are conducted in 3 languages: English, Spanish and French. Unfortunately, excursions in Russian for "Russo tourist" are not provided.
For the hungry visitors near the museum a café works daily. It opens at 11 am, and closes at the same time as the museum - at 22.00.
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