Machu Picchu Museum

The Machu Picchu Site Museum "Manuel Chávez Ballón" is dedicated to the Inca citadel, featuring elements found in the excavations carried out since the discovery of this World Wonder.

What to see and do at the Machu Picchu Site Museum?

There are 3 main activities to do in this place:

• Exhibition: Offers an educational exhibition divided into 8 sequences distributed in infographics, panels, maps, and videos accompanied by a collection of ceramics, metals, and more.
• Archaeological remains: Inside, you can also find bone remains belonging to the ancient inhabitants of the Inca city, along with garments, ceramics, and tools they used.
• Botanical garden: After visiting the indoor facilities, you can continue to the botanical garden where you can enjoy nature accompanied by the sound of the Urubamba River.

Why is it known as the Manuel Chávez Ballón Museum?

The Manuel Chávez Ballón Museum bears this name in honor of its founder, Manuel Chávez Ballón, a known historian and explorer. In the early 1960s, thanks to the management of the historian Manuel Chávez, the construction of the Site Museum was executed.

This museum began with the exhibition of Inca archaeological samples and cultural material found in the Machu Picchu sanctuary, without valuing its historical function. In 2000, a restructuring was carried out in the way objects were presented to the public, thus considering their historical value, including an exhaustive archaeological investigation on the objects.

Thus, on July 25, 2005, the museum reopened its doors and what we know as the current Manuel Chávez Ballón Museum was inaugurated, obtaining this name in honor of its founder.

Short Biography of Manuel Chávez Ballón

Born on June 12, 1919, in Puno, in his adolescence, he guided Luís E. Valcárcel and Julio César Tello to Pucara, this expedition would mark his vocation. He studied pedagogy at the Universidad Mayor de San Marcos, where in 1942 he joined the Archaeological Expedition of Southern Peru as a delegate of said university, an expedition directed by Dr. Julio C. Tello, during which Wiñaywayna was discovered.

He was named National Visitor of Archaeological Monuments in 1963 and three years later Resident Archaeologist of the Archaeological Complex of Machu Picchu, where he managed the construction of the site museum of the Inca citadel. In 1977 he founded the professional career of archaeology and at the same time founded the "Taller Inka" where he also taught classes. He passed away on June 12, 2000, in his workshop.

Location and entrance to the Machu Picchu Museum

The Manuel Chávez Ballón Museum is located at Km112 on the ascent route to the Machu Picchu citadel, about 5 minutes by bus and about 30 minutes walking from Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu Pueblo.

The museum's hours of operation are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Sunday.

Location

Rates and Admission to the Manuel Chavez Ballón Site Museum

Tickets can be purchased at the museum entrance at the following prices: