Official is the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera is more well-known in Germany than Larco Museum. The Archaeological Museum is a unique collection of indigenous cultures before the Spanish conquest.
Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera de Lima
The Rafael Larco Herrera Archaeological Museum is located approximately six kilometers from the historic center of Lima, in the district of Pueblo Libre. The building in which it is located is a trujillo style villa built on the remains of a 7th century pyramid built during the viceroyalty of Peru. The gardens of the museum house a garden of tropical flowers and cactus and a restaurant with excellent cuisine. Both are worth a visit. The eponym of the museum is the father of the founder Rafael Larco Hoyle.
The objects that the father bequeathed to the son were exhibited first in his family property, a sugarcane plantation in Chiclin, near Trujillo. Later, the museum was moved to Lima. After realizing that his pieces came from different cultures, the son began his own research, discovering the civilizations Cupisnique, Salinar, Virú and Lambayeque. Its main focus, however, was the culture of the Moche, whose testimonies constitute a large part of the exhibitions.
10,000 years of Peruvian history in the Larco Museum
The exhibitions of the indigenous cultures of Peru, that populated the country before the arrival of the Spaniards, are in several rooms. To give visitors an orderly view, the pieces were organized, on the one hand, by region: North, Center, South and La Sierra; on the other, by type: metal jewelry, ceramics, textiles.
In the metal room, for example, there is a set of gold headdresses from the Chimú period and jewels for the head and ears of the Moche culture. Religious and practical objects also included “artistic” representations, such as corn cobs and masks. It should be noted that there is generally no clear dividing line between religious pieces and practices, because religion and its rituals were closely related to the daily life of ancient cultures. Stone products such as knives and tools from the preceramic period complete the collection.
The attraction: testimonies of the Moche culture
Moche objects occupy a lot of space in the museum. For example, a room is dedicated to the sacrificial rituals of this culture. Popular among visitors are the ceramic vessels adorned with erotic images. They can be seen in a separate room.
The Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera and his camp
Normally, museums only spend a small part of their property for reasons of space. What treasures are hidden in the camps, therefore, they often only know the specialists. However, the Archaeological Museum of Lima also makes its camp open to the public. There are also about 30,000 cataloged findings to see.
Opening hours
The museum is open all year from 09:00 to 22:00. At Christmas and New Year’s parties, the opening hours are from 09:00 to 18:00. Admission is 30 soles for adults and 15 soles for students and children. Guided tours in English and Spanish are possible. Attention possibility of confusion: there is also the National Archaeological Museum in Lima. To avoid deviations, the name “Rafael Larco Herrera” must be respected.
Museo Larco
Address: Av. Bolívar 1515, Pueblo Libre, Lima 21 – Perú
Phone: +51 1 461-1312
+51 1 461-1835
+51 1 461-5640
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