A bouganvillea-draped hacienda in the heart of Lima is the home of the Larco Museum and the largest collection of pre-historic Peruvian artifacts to be found in the world. The collection includes examples of quipu, or Incan counting ropes; funerary clothes and jewelry; ceremonial ceramics; and ceramics used in ritual human sacrifice. The museum also houses an impressive, and I mean eye-popping, collection of erotic pottery.
Why should you go?
Exposure to different cultures and ideas makes us all well-rounded and more tolerant people: Go learn about how ancient Peruvians moved from bird-puma-snake deities to people-as-divinity-on-earth to adopting their conquerors’ ideas about religion. Find out what the evolution of pottery forms says about the different regions of Peru. See how accepted it was to fight to the death to satisfy the blood lust of both the gods and their human servants. Understand how the funerary practices of the times reflected a connection to their ancestors. Embarrass your boyfriend by giggling at erotic art. It’s all important.
You can pay a docent to give you a personal tour (schedule on the web site), but we didn’t think it was necessary. The museum makes a huge effort to make the exhibits informative to as many people as possible. Displays have explanations in at least five different languages, and in many rooms there are additional hand-outs in other languages. The museum wants to share as much info as possible.
Until they don’t. In the erotica room, housed in a separate part of the museum to save innocent eyes, they give a brief overview of the art and where it was found, and then they flat-out refuse to characterize the sexuality of their ancestors. I have so much respect for that.
What should you make an effort to see?
The entire museum, including the erotica room, takes about two hours to view, so you really should plan to see everything while you’re there. However, I thought the museum’s inventory rooms were the best. The entire inventory of pottery and artifacts is available for public viewing — over 43,000 pieces. More interesting, I thought, is they have an inventory numbering system that allows you to look up pieces in their public catalog in order to conduct your own research. The transparency is impressive, and I wish more museums would make this standard.
The funerary pieces were also worth seeing, mostly because special cloth was woven for the deceased to be wrapped in. And they added plenty of bling, including nose pieces, for important personages when they passed so that these folks would be recognized as deities in the afterlife. The vessels created to hold human blood were fascinating, too. However, the knives they used to do the work? They didn’t look all that sharp.
What other tidbits do you need to know?
The museum, in my opinion, is not handicap accessible. There are huge, sloping cobblestone ramps to different areas of the museum that would be too much for someone in a wheelchair to manage. I didn’t see an elevator anywhere, but if you really want to go, contact the museum in advance to see if they can make accommodations.
There’s a top-notch restaurant/cafe on the museum grounds that you can visit without paying the museum entrance fee. It’s in a lovely arbor that’s covered with ferns and bougainvillea. Reservations aren’t required necessarily, but plan to eat at off-times just in case or make one before you go. Visiting in the evening? Definitely make a reservation.
The food is a cut above most street restaurants, and features a mix of American standards (cheeseburgers) and Peruvian classics with flair. We choose a selection of Peruvian appetizers and split a fabulous salmon entree covered in passion fruit sauce. Lunch for two cost about $35 USD.
The museum has a nice gift shop, but I was impressed to find a Kuna shop on the premises. I’m starting a deep-dive into Peruvian alpaca, and this chain of stores was mentioned several times for the quality (and price!) of their goods. I took the opportunity to pet the baby alpaca scarves so I know what to look for when I’m ready to buy something.
In all, Museo Larco is a surprising gem. I’m glad we took the time to visit.
Exposure to other cultures? It’s soooooo important.