Lima City Tour Extension: Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Description

The National Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is the oldest public museum in Peru. Founded in 1826 and housed in an old colonial mansion, the museum holds a vast collection of artifacts, including ceramics, textiles, metals, stonework and organic materials from the various eras and civilizations of Peru. Exhibits range from the earliest cultures that developed in Peru, and progress through to the Incas, the colonial period and the Republican age. There are more than 100,000 artifacts in total, ranging from elongated skulls from Paracas to Moche ceramics and Inca jewelry. Two of the most important artefacts are the Raimondi Stele and the Tello Obelisk from Chavín de Huantar. The museum also has wonderful scale models of archaeological sites in Peru, including one of Machu Picchu.