Museo Histórico Militar Real Felipe (Plaza Independencia, Callao) – Callao is just 18 minutes west of Lima, and has long been the country’s major port. During Peru’s colonial period, the Spaniards built this elaborate fortress (the most impressive built anywhere in the Americas) to protect the coast and the outgoing shipments of gold, silver and […]
Museo de la Electricidad (Av. Pedro de Osma 105, Barranco, Lima) – offering a change from the typical archaeological museums found in this country, this museum focuses on the history & development of electricity in Peru. The main subjects are: Pioneers, power generation, energy sources, the impact of electricity on daily life, energy saving and […]
Museo de Arte de Lima / MALI (Parque Colón 125, Parque de la Exposición, Lima) – this museum’s collection consists of pre-Columbian textiles and ceramics (from the Cupisnique, Chavín, Mochica, Recuay, Lambayeque and Chimú cultures in the country’s northern regions; and the Paracas, Nazca, Huari, Cjancay and Chincha cultures in the country’s south), pictures and […]
Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera (Av. Bolivar 1515, Pueblo Libre, Lima) – founded in 1926, the Larco Museum is a worthy destination for those who intend on visiting archeological sites like Machu Picchu. Housed within a 18th century vice-royal mansion, this museum features a fascinating collection of artifacts that go back thousands of years (covering […]
Museo Nacional Afroperuano (Jr. Ancash 542, Centro, Lima) – housed within the 18th century Casa de las Trece Monedas mansion, is this museum that covers the history of Afro-Peruvians, who were first brought into the country as slaves during the Spanish colonial period. Key points of the exhibitions are work, torture and punishments, activities, food, […]
Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes) — Machu Picchu, a World Cultural and Natural Heritage site, is one of the best examples of Inca architecture. Built in the middle of a tropical mountain forest, the city appears to have been sculpted from the rocky slopes. Besides offering visitors a spectacular landscape, the site also exhibits biological diversity […]
Kúelap (72 km. from Chachapoyas / Amazon Dept.) – this fortress was built by another pre-Inca civilization, the Chachapoyas people, which existed between 800 AD and 1470 AD. The fortress is protected by walls as high as 66 meters. Despite this, the Incas still managed to conquer them. Visitors at this site will take note […]
Government Palace (Plaza Mayor, Lima) — this Spanish colonial building was once the residence of conquistador Francisco Pizarro (1535). The land used to build this palace previously belonged to Inca ruler Taulichusco (chief of the Rimac valley). Since Pizarro’s time, various rulers resided here, with renovations being made after a fire damaged portions of the […]
Chavín de Huántar (Chavín de Huantar, Áncash) — located 110 km southeast of the town of Huaraz, this site is even older than the Inca Empire. Its main temple was built in 1,400 BC. Revered by locals for the oracle-like powers that its priests were said to have, they would seek their counsel and make […]
Chan Chan (Huanchaco, Trujillo) – located just 10 minutes from the regional Peruvian city of Trujillo, this is one of the country’s significant archeological sites. This site was once the capital of the Chimú kingdom (which existed along Peru’s north coast from appx. 1100 AD, before being conquered by the Incas around 1470 AD). Upon […]