Museums in Cusco You Should Visit
If you are in Cusco and you have already visited Machu Picchu and you love the history of Peru? one of the best options to not stop learning about the Incas on your day off in Cusco is to visit the museums of the city of Cusco. Here we made a list of the must-see museums in Cusco-Perú that you should not miss.
Inka Museum
The San Antonio Abad University Museum (UNSAAC) or also known as the Inka Museum is located on Cuesta del Almirante street 103, near Cusco’s Plaza de Armas. If you are interested in the history of the Incas and everything that occurred during the Spanish invasion, then this museum is for you.
The exhibits build up slowly from pre-Inka times and by the end you will have a good understanding and feel for the greatest empire of the Americas and its legacy.
The interior is filled with a fine collection of metal and gold, jewellery, ceramics, textiles, mummies, models and the world’s largest collection of keros (Inca ceremonial drinking glasses). There is excellent interpretative information in English, and English-speaking guides are usually available at the entrance of the museum.
The museum also provides an explanation of the cultural significance and importance of coca leaves to the Incas.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 08:00 to 18:00
Saturdays and holidays: 09:00 to 16:00 hrs.
Fees: Adults S/ 10.00
Museo de Arte Precolombino
It was formerly the “Amaru Cata” or “House of Knowledge”, the school of the Incas, built almost two centuries ago.
in 1580 during the conquest it was the mansion of the Spanish conqueror Alonso Díaz and in 1850 the mansion of Count Cabrera. The residence was subsequently restored to become the “Museum of Pre-Columbian Art or Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art” in June 2003. It is the only museum dedicated to the recovery of the art of the cultures of ancient Peru.
The museum is located at Plazoleta Nazarenas 231, behind the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, one block away from the Inka Museum.
In the interior you will find a collection of 450 pieces dating from 1250 BC to 1532 AD. The works of art are all from the Larco Museum’s storage collection in Lima, and the descriptions in various languages help to give a more complete picture and understanding of the people who created them.
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 9:00-22:00
Fees: General entrance S/ 20.00 – Students S/ 10.00
Machu Picchu Museum
Machu Picchu museum or Mueseo Casa Concha, This beautiful mansion is remarkable for its picturesque balconies. It was the residence of José de Santiago de Concha, a notable aristocrat in the early days of the conquest. One of his descendants, Martin Pio Concha, was the last governor of Spanish Cusco in the 19th century. Today it belongs to the San Antonio Abad University of Cusco and contains the items that were won in the long battle with Yale University over the artifacts stolen from Hiram Bingham at Machu Picchu.
There are 360 pieces of Machu Picchu that were returned from Yale University.
The museum is located on Santa Catalina Ancha Street 320, very close to the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, Peru.
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Casa Concha Museum is not open on Sundays.
Coca Museum
This is a good introduction to Andean culture, This museum is small, but very interesting to have an overview of the coca leave in the Inka time, from sacred rituals to its most intrusive incarnations. All information is available in Spanish and English and you can guide yourself through the little museum.
The museum is divided into twelve areas, where the visitor will be informed about the benefits of using the coca leaf, such as planting, care and harvest.
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Museo Histórico Regional del Cusco
This small museum is included on the tourist ticket. Somehting you should know is that photos are allowed only in the main foyer. the museum has 8 small rooms. The location is in the fomer house of Garcilaso de la Vega, an Inca-Spanish chronicler who lived here in the 17th century and is now buried under the Cusco Cathedral. The chronologically ordered collection begins with pre-ceramic arrowheads and an interesting collection of artifacts including antiquities, paintings, colonial art, costumes. It also showcases the works of Garcilaso de la Vega and the jewellery of the various cultures that inhabited this region – Inca, Wari and Pukara.
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday: 8:00-17:00
