Rafael Larco Herrera Archaeological Museum

This museum stands out for its human-centered approach. In its galleries, visitors can see everything from delicate gold jewelry to ceramics depicting intimate scenes of daily life. Each piece has a story to tell.

History

The Larco Museum was founded in 1926 by Rafael Larco Hoyle, a Peruvian archaeologist who wanted to preserve and share the country’s pre-Columbian heritage. The initial collection began with a piece he received from his father in 1923 and grew through the acquisition of various archaeological collections from the northern coast. Visiting this museum allows you to understand the effort behind the conservation, research, and promotion of Peru’s pre-Columbian heritage.

Description

The Larco Museum is located in an elegant 18th-century viceregal mansion, built on top of an ancient pre-Columbian pyramid in the district of Pueblo Libre, Lima. Its inner courtyards and corridors are decorated with flowers and traditional flowerpots.

The objects on display span more than 5,000 years of ancient Peruvian history. The collection includes ceramics, textiles, ritual objects, and ornaments from different cultures of ancient Peru, such as the Mochica, Nazca, Chimú, Wari, and Inca. The museum features a permanent exhibition, open storage galleries, and the renovated Checan Erotic Gallery.

The museum lends part of its collection to museums and exhibitions abroad, as well as to the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art in Cusco. It also offers publications and has an important research area.

Location

The museum is located at Avenida Simón Bolívar 1515, in the district of Pueblo Libre.

How to Get There

The museum is located in Pueblo Libre, about 35 to 50 minutes from Miraflores, depending on traffic. You can take a taxi or public transportation. From Miraflores, the trip takes approximately 1 hour.

Highlights

It features an important collection of gold and silver pieces from ancient Peru, as well as a renowned collection of pre-Columbian erotic art. It also has permanent exhibitions, including:

• Introductory gallery: this first gallery offers an overview of the museum visit, from the first inhabitants of ancient Peru to the Inca period.
• Ancient Peru cultures galleries: these galleries show the chronological development of ancient Peruvian societies.
• Sacrificial ceremony gallery: this gallery displays various artifacts used in sacrificial ceremonies, mainly in the Mochica culture. A ceremonial vessel stands out, featuring forms that allude to death. The Mochica performed human sacrifice rituals.
• Ceremonial vessels gallery: this gallery displays ceremonial vessels related to fertility worship, human sacrifice, and the worship of deities. One of the most emblematic pieces is a vessel from the Chimú culture, made of gold and silver.
• Ritual war and music gallery: this gallery displays various objects, mainly made of gold and silver, that were used by the cultures of ancient Peru in war ceremonies. Musical instruments such as drums, whistles, quenas, antaras, and other sound-producing objects are also exhibited.
• Death in ancient Peru gallery: this gallery shows objects related to funerary practices and beliefs about the continuity of life after death.
• Gold and jewelry gallery: this gallery displays pieces of great value, mostly gold and silver jewelry associated with high-ranking figures.

Other Services

The Larco Museum also offers storage service, free Wi-Fi, limited parking availability, accessibility facilities, a restaurant, and a boutique shop.

Opening Hours and Fees:

Reference opening hours:
Monday to Sunday: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Reference fee:
General admission: S/ 50.00.
Senior citizens, aged 60 and over: S/ 35.00.
Students: S/ 25.00.
Minors, ages 9 to 17: S/ 25.00.
Children ages 3 to 8: S/ 1.00.
Children ages 0 to 2: free.