Editor Pick
Museo de Arte Precolombino
As you enter the Museo de Arte Precolombino you are presented with its guiding philosophy—to take the relics of the past and display them as the works of art they once were. In other words, this is not just a dry and dusty old museum, filled with minutely labelled shards of pottery; this is an art gallery.
Indeed, the works on display look shiny and new, as if they'd been manufactured in the last century rather than in the first half of last millennium. I found this worrying. I'm not used to seeing pristine pieces of pottery or intact works of cunningly-formed silver in such quantities. Was I missing something in the English translations of the explicatory text? Were these merely pieces *inspired by* the works of the great civilizations that once called Peru home?
A sunny courtyard caters for the tourists with an exclusive restaurant, an alpaca store and a branch of H Stern jewellers. Following the route upstairs chambers exhibit the works of the various cultures represented—Moche, Chimu, Paracas, nasca, and Inca. Continuing downstairs there are further rooms devoted to certain materials—shells, silver, and gold, the latter chamber glowing with warmth.
The museum's aim is eminently laudable. The exhibits are of quite staggering beauty, and they benefit from being showcased in this comparative fashion. They can be appreciated for their artistry and style rather than just as remnants of ages gone. A private museum, your tourist card will not get you in here for free. Instead it is around $4.60. But it is well worth it.
From journal Cusco - The Navel of the World