Museo Larco – A Museum Indiana Jones Would Approve
Our travels in Latin America have been absolutely fantastic and we know that we really have no right to complain about anything.
But we will anyway.
After nearly four months, we have been repeatedly frustrated by our inability to see the best collections of pre-Columbian artifacts that Latin America has to offer. And since we have been heavily influenced (for better or worse) by the classic Indiana Jones films growing up, we really needed to scratch our archaeology itch!
Thankfully Museo Larco in Lima, Peru came through for us big time!
So What Was the Problem?
Basically, we were the victims of terrible timing.
Both times we were in Guatemala City, Guatemala we tried to visit the Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología (MUNAE) to see their collections of Mayan artifacts. And both times the museum was closed for renovations.
Undeterred, we visited the Museo Nacional de Arte de Guatemala (MUNAG) on our last day in Antigua Guatemala. The museum was open (free admission!), but access to the pre-Columbian artifact section was closed off that day due to some sort of convention happening at the facility!
Ugh.
At least we were able to visit Tikal National Park before leaving Guatemala!
Museo Larco to the Rescue!
Although we struck out seeing the best collections of Mayan artifacts in Guatemala, we knew that new opportunities would be available in Peru. And one museum that kept coming up as arguably the best pre-Columbian museum in Peru was Museo Larco in Lima.
You bet we were going to visit!
Museo Larco was established by Rafael Larco Hoyle, a pioneer of Peruvian archaeology, in 1926. Specifically, the museum is dedicated to the study and preservation of artifacts from pre-Columbian Andean civilizations that inhabited the region from 8000 BC – 1532 AD.
Museo Larco has produced a fantastic video that describes the mission of the museum, its founder (Rafael Larco Hoyle), and the ancient civilizations he studied. Check it out below! For anyone interested in archaeology, it absolutely is worth your time.
Getting to Museo Larco
When scouting the location of Museo Larco, we noticed that it was in the same general area as Parque de las Leyendas, which we visited several days earlier. So since we knew we could walk there safely from Miraflores (~9.7 km/6 miles one way) and get in some good ocean-view exercise, we chose that option again.
However, we’d be taking a taxi back to Miraflores once we were finished with the museum!
We eventually reached the front gate of the Museo Larco grounds, which felt like entering the property of local nobility.
The security guard let us through the external gate and ushered us to the reception area (through two more gates) to buy tickets.
Tickets were more expensive than most other museums and parks in Lima (35 Soles/$9.19 USD per adult), but we knew it would be worth it.
The Permanent Exhibit Area
No less than nine pre-Columbian Andean cultures are represented in the Museo Larco collections. And the artifacts displayed are of the highest imaginable quality and condition considering their age.
Many look like they could have been manufactured yesterday!
The first several rooms broadly introduce you to the different Andean cultures that lived in the region. Nine cultures are represented, including the Mochicha, Cupisnique, Chimú, Nasca, Huari, Chancay, Lima, Lambayeque, and Inca.
Chances are that you have never heard of most of these cultures, so click the links to find out more!
There were many cool stone and ceramic artifacts that stood out to us in this section. The Andeans really were masters of their craft.
We then moved into the Syncretism room, which displays Spanish colonial art made by indigenous artists who blended their own (forbidden) cultural and religious interpretations in their works.
There was an entire room devoted to ancient Peruvian textiles…
As well as rooms dedicated to artifacts depicting the details of ceremonial sacrifices, human or otherwise.
There was also a room dedicated to the funerary preparations and dress for those of importance who died.
But by far, the most impressive rooms in the museum were dedicated to works of gold, silver, and copper. Different Andean cultures had mastered the art of working with these metals for art and ceremonial garb, with extremely impressive results.
I joked with Rhonda that while looking over the artifacts, I was reflexively reenacting the finger-rub scene from the opening sequence in Indiana Jones – Raiders of the Lost Ark:
The photos below will make you understand why.
The number of priceless artifacts in their permanent collection was dizzying. There was so much more to their collection than our pictures could capture, but hopefully, we gave you a sense of just how sophisticated these cultures were.
Visible Storage Area
Most museums keep the bulk of their collections under lock and key away from the prying eyes of the public.
But Museo Larco takes a very different approach!
In a dedicated wing of the museum, storage areas are completely open to the public. Artifacts are arranged by subject on rows of shelves that seemed to stretch on forever.
It really was amazing to wander around the storage area and marvel at the skill of the artisans who made these ceramics. There were thousands of items to view and it took us over 30 minutes to completely explore this area!
To take your own 360-degree tour of the visible storage area, click HERE!
The Erotic Gallery
Yes, you read that right.
The pre-Columbian Andean cultures had no issue depicting eroticism in their art as it was a natural religious expression of duality in the natural world. Exaggerated sexual organs, anthropomorphic genitals, and humans/animals in various (sometimes gymnastic) sexual positions and performing (sometimes gymnastic) sexual acts.
It was all part of normal everyday life in those cultures and was celebrated with ceremony rather than scorned.
True to form, Museo Larco created a video explaining the role of eroticism in Andean society in significant detail. Check it out below!
It was a little tough to take pictures as the lighting conditions were less than ideal. Also, the 360-degree nature of the gymnastic fornications made it a little difficult to show exactly what was going on unless you went for the full-on XXX hardcore approach to picture composition.
Not to mention that we felt a little like amateur pornographers trying to take naughty pictures in a room full of people!
Check out the museum link to The Erotic Gallery, where they left no stone unturned when it came to getting the best imagery from their collection. We aren’t typically bashful about these things, but even we have our limits when it comes to getting the best pictures!
Wrapping Things Up
We had a great day at Museo Larco, and strongly recommend it to anyone with any interest in pre-Columbian Andean cultures. Well worth the admission fee, and honestly we would have happily paid more and been just as satisfied.
This facility is truly world-class!
We’re pretty sure that Indiana Jones would have loved this place too.
Until next time…
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2 thoughts on “Museo Larco – A Museum Indiana Jones Would Approve”
The gems just keep flowing. Thoroughly enjoy your travels.
Much appreciated! 😁