Larco Museum in Peru
Established in 1926, Museo Arqueologico Rafael Larco Herrera – known to English speakers as the Larco Museum – is one of the most enticing cultural attractions in Peru. Located in Lima on the Avenue Bolivar in the Pueblo Libre District, this privately-owned museum highlights an impressive collection of pre-Columbian art that is a joy to explore.
This unique museum is housed in an even more unique structure – an 18th century mansion that’s built over a pre-Columbian 7th century pyramid, surrounded by award-winning stunning gardens. The pieces inside the museum span about 4,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history and, indeed, the Larco Museum is home to one of the world’s largest collections of pre-Columbian art including art from the Moche, Nazca, Chimu, and Inca civilizations. The museum’s permanent collection includes about 45,000 pieces in all, some that have been loaned to the Larco’s smaller branch, the Museo de Arte Precolombino in Cusco. (Those who can’t make it to the museum can also view their entire collection in the Larco’s online electronic catalog.)
There are several permanent exhibits at the Larco Museum, all of which are quite interesting and are sure to have pieces that will catch your eye. These include the:
- Cultures Gallery (or Hall of Cultures) – A good
place to begin a visit to the museum, this is a chronologically-based
gallery that provides guests with a comprehensive look at Peru’s
pre-Columbian cultures through the use of indigenous art works. The hall
is divided into four different areas: North Coast, which includes the
Cupisnique, Vicus, Mochica
and Chimu cultures; the Central Coast which includes Lima and Chancay;
the South Coast, including Paracas, Nazca, and Chincha; and the
Highlands, which includes the Chavin, Tiahuanaco, Huari, and Inca
cultures.
- Gold
and Silver Gallery – This gallery boasts one of the largest collections
of pre-Columbian jewelry on the planet, including many pieces that were
worn by rulers of that time period. It includes masks, vases, earrings,
crowns, nose ornaments and more, many decorated with semi-precious
stones. Many of these pieces often travel to exhibits at other museums
around the world and have been widely photographed.
-
Sacrifice Ceremony Gallery – This gallery portrays a scene of human
sacrifice from the Mochica culture, which flourished in Northern Peru
from 100 to 800 A.D. Human sacrifice played a large role in Moche
religious practices.
- The
Erotic Gallery – Ancient Peruvian cultures were known for using
ceramics/pottery to represent portions of their daily life including not
only work and family but also sex. This exhibit, popular with the
masses, includes the world’s largest collection of pottery and ceramics
with a sexual theme, most of it dating to around the 2nd
century A.D.
The Larco Museum is also known for its dedication to conservation and has a
large staff that works on restoring important Peruvian artifacts. However,
visitors are not able to visit that portion of the museum.
There’s also a small café at the museum, designed to resemble an old chateau, and an enticing Gallery Shop, which offers a variety of metal, ceramic, and textile reproductions. A jewelry store and a shop that sells alpaca wool items are also located at the Larco Museum.
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