Museums in Lima Peru
Museums about Museums – From the Incas to Peruvian Cuisine
If you visit Lima, you will inevitably pass one of the many museums. And as befits the state capital, the range of these facilities is wide. There are the museums that deal with the country’s oldest past, those that have made exhibits from the colonial period their theme, various art museums, museums with a political theme, and still some curiosities. Some of the museums are large, others private. You can find them in the old city centre of Lima as well as in the periphery.
Peru’s pre-Hispanic cultures
The Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia del Perú is one of the most important museums of Peru’s history. Ceramics of the Nazca, Paracas, Moche and Inkas, gold jewellery and statues, but also art from the colonial period and the republican era are gathered here. It is similar to the collection of the Banco Central de Reserva Museum, which also contains wonderful examples of Peruvian painting. More monothematic are the Amano, the museum for pre-Columbian textile art, and the Museo de los Colli, a small, privately run treasure in the Comas district.
Lima Museums
Casa de la Gastronomía Peruana
Museo Aeronáutico del Perú
Museo Amano
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo
Museo de Arte Fernando Saldías Díaz
Museo de Arte Italiano
Museo de Arte de Lima
Museo de Automóvil
Museo Banco Central de Reserva del Perú
Museo de la Electricidad
Museo de Historia Natural
Museo de la Inquisición y del Congreso
Museo de los Colli
Museo de la Nación
Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia del Perú
Museo de Mario Testino
Museo Oro del Perú y Armas del Mundo
Museo Pedro de Osma
The colonial period: Peru under Spanish influence
Not all museums can always be assigned to a certain theme, they usually mix. This becomes visible in the Museo Oro del Perú y Armas del Mundo, where you will find a beautiful overview of Peru’s gold craft and weapons from all over the world. The Museo de la Inquisición y del Congreso, on the other hand, covers a more unpleasant part of the history – with the Spaniards also the Catholic Church came to Peru, and thus various torture methods, whose remnants are still to be seen.
Fine Arts in Peru
Lima’s oldest art museum, the Museo de Arte de Lima, is one of the best places if you are interested in the fine arts. When you leave this architectural peculiarity, you will not only have seen the ceramics of pre-Columbian times, but also the school of Cuzco and the works of modern artists. In the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo you can see modern works of art and installations, in the Museo de Mario Testino contemporary photography and colonial architecture meet. These museums are joined by museums from private collections: the Museo de Arte Fernando Saldías Díaz and the Museo Pedro de Osma.
Curious places
What would Lima be without the museums you might not expect? Are you a car fan? Visit the Museo de Automóvil; for aviation enthusiasts, the Aeronautical Museum in Rospogliosi Castle is a must (although the Castillo Rospigliosi has to be visited anyway for its architecture and furnishings…). In the Museo de la Electricidad you can learn about the history of electricity in Peru and try your hand at the interactive installations. Very interesting and suitable for a visit with children is the Museo de Historia Natural. And if you don’t have enough of the curiosities or just want to whet your appetite: Casa de la Gastronomía Peruana. There you will not only learn what the Incas ate and how many varieties of potatoes there are in Peru, you will also be able to taste the different typical specialities of the country!