7 museums you should know when you travel to Lima

Peru has an important historical heritage, numerous cultural assets including ceramics, goldsmiths, textiles and others. All these are part of a valuable legacy, not only national but global, so they deserve our full attention.

In the city of Lima, a large part of this legacy is preserved and exhibited in museums that are at your disposal. You can find there from remarkable collections of art, old emblematic works, to contemporary pieces.

There is no complete tour of the Peruvian capital that does not consider these important cultural spaces where you will not only make contact with the pre-Hispanic, colonial and republican past of Peru, but also with the treasures that they hide inside. Are you ready to learn more about them? Let's go.

Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia (National Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History)

It is the oldest public museum in Peru. Located in Plaza Bolívar, in the Pueblo Libre district, it is the headquarters of the National System of State Museums and its mission is to preserve the Peruvian artistic heritage. Its exhibition rooms shelter a wide collection of pieces and works that make it one of the most visited museums in the country, with an average number of over one hundred thousand people each year.

It exhibits ceramics, textiles and metals, as well as invaluable organic and lithic material and human remains of the pre-Hispanic legacy. Objects of historical-artistic value and photographic archives make up the exhibitions dedicated to the colonial and republican periods. This museum is the ideal place to get closer to the history of Peru.

It is the oldest public museum in Peru. It is located in Plaza Bolívar, in the Pueblo Libre district. Credit: Luis Gamero / PromPerú.

Museo Arqueológico Larco (Rafael Larco Hoyle Archaeological Museum)

Its foundation dates back to 1926. Also located in Pueblo Libre, this museum chronologically exhibits an important overview of three thousand years of development of the pre-Columbian history of Peru. It is surrounded by gardens and it is inside of a beautiful viceregal mansion.

It has one of the finest collections of gold and silver pieces from ancient Peru, and a vast gallery of erotic art. Also stands out for being one of the first museums in the world where visitors can tour its deposits and appreciate the 45 thousand archaeological pieces that make up its impressive collection.

It has one of the finest collections of gold and silver pieces from ancient Peru. Credit: Manuel Medir / PromPerú.

Museo de la Santa Inquisición y del Congreso (Museum of the Holy Inquisition and Congress)

Founded in 1968, it is one of the cultural centers that receives the most visitors per year. Although during the republican era it was the seat of parliament, this museum is known also for having been the Court of the Holy Inquisition: a place where people convicted of religious crimes were punished during the colonial era. It has a series of environments like the Inquisition Room and the Chamber of Torments that illustrate how sinister this place was.

Museo Oro del Perú (Gold Museum of Peru)

Considered as one of the most important in Lima, this museum was founded by the Peruvian politician and diplomat Miguel Mujica Gallo. It houses pieces that Mujica collected during his travels around the world, as well as a large collection of pre-Hispanic gold from different cultures that is more than 3,000 years old. Incalculable objects and jewels worked in gold, silver and precious stones are exhibited, which were used in celebrations and rituals at that time.

The Gold Museum also exhibits a valuable collection of ancient and modern weapons that is considered one of the best worldwide.

Museo de Arte de Lima (Lima Art Museum)

Located around the historic center of Lima, the MALI -as it is known- is one of the most visited museums in the city. You can find it inside the old Palace of the Exhibition, an emblematic building whose neo-Renaissance architecture makes it one of the most dazzling in the capital. This art gallery is highly visited and its collection is made up of more than 17 thousand Peruvian works of art from pre-Columbian, colonial and republican times.

Located around the historic center of Lima, the MALI -as it is known- is one of the most visited museums in the city. Credit: PromPerú.

Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Contemporary Art Museum)

It is one of the most modern museums in Lima. Founded at the beginning of 2013, it is a cultural center specialized in the dissemination of the art of our time, hosting collections and exhibitions of renowned Peruvian artists such as Ramiro Llona, Fernando de Szyszlo and Mario Testino.

Located in the bohemian district of Barranco, it has a building with a minimalist structure that includes three rooms where the pieces are presented and that is surrounded by a lagoon, which accentuates its concept of island. An extensive green area with free access to the public complements the museum spaces. Various musical concerts and cultural events are held there.

It is one of the most modern museums in Lima. Founded in early 2013, it is currently a cultural center. Credit: PromPerú.

Museo Pedro de Osma (Pedro de Osma Museum)

Located inside of a beautiful palace in the Barranco district, this historic museum was the summer home for the Osma family - linked to the Spanish nobility - at the beginning of the 20th century. Later, the house was inherited by the children of Pedro de Osma, among them Angélica, who currently manages the museum through a foundation.

Visiting this small palace and appreciating its galleries that house various religious paintings and artistic objects is to take a trip through colonial Lima of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Wardrobes, dressers, silver utensils and marble sculptures are part of the family heritage that can also be admired during the tour.

It is located inside an old and beautiful palace in the Barranco district. Credit: Adrián Portugal / PromPerú.

Sources: Museo Larco / Museos de Lima

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