Museums in Cusco

By Tony Dunnell

Peru Travel Expert, about.com

The city of Cusco is one of Peru’s most historically and culturally important cities. It’s also a major tourist destination. It’s no surprise, then, that Cusco is home to quite a few museums, some excellent, some good, and some barely worth the visit.

Many of the museums listed here are featured on the Boleto Turístico del Cusco (Cusco Tourist Ticket), with the exception of the first four.
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Museo Inka

Housed in the centuries-old Casa del Almirante, the Museo Inka is home to an impressive collection of Inca gold, ceramics, textiles, mummies and more. You’ll also find information about Inca agricultural practices, medicines and architecture.

• Address: Cuesta del Almirante 103, Cusco
• Hours: Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Entrance: S/.10
• Phone: (51-84) 237 380
• Website: museoinka.unsaac.edu.pe

Museo de Arte Precolombino

The small Museo de Arte Precolombino (MAP Cusco) houses an excellent collection of pre-Columbian artworks, including ceramics and jewelry. The museum is divided into various rooms, some focusing on a particular culture such as Mochica, Chimú or Inca, and others concentrating on gold, silver or wooden artifacts. MAP Cusco is owned and run by the Larco Museum in Lima and Banco Continental.

• Address: Plazoleta Nazarenas 231, Cusco
• Hours: daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Entrance: S/.20
• Phone: (51-84) 233 210
• Website: map.museolarco.org

Museo de Arte y Monasterio de Santa Catalina

The Santa Catalina Convent is a fine example of religious architecture, while serving as arguably the best space in the city for viewing religious art. The collection contains impressive examples of the Cusqueña School of art, as well as giant religious tapestries.
Address: Calle Santa Catalina Angosta 401
Hours: Monday to Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sundays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Entrance: S/.8
Website: none

Choco Museo

Like its counterparts in Lima, the Choco Museo in Cusco offers two-hour chocolate workshops and plenty of information about the chocolate-making process. There are also tour options for visiting local cacao plantations.

• Address: Calle Garcilaso 210, Second Floor, Cusco
• Hours: daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Entrance: free
• Phone: (51-84) 244 765
• Website: www.chocomuseo.com

[post_ads]Museo de Arte Popular

Cusco’s Museo de Arte Popular displays contemporary works of art from local and national artists. It’s an eclectic mix of serious, risqué, grotesque and humorous pieces, including sculptures, ceramics and paintings. One of the two rooms is filled with the winners of local art contests, so the quantity and quality of the works on display varies. Photography also plays an important role in the museum, with images of Cusco from the late-1800s to the aftermath of the 1950 earthquake. It’s not a must-see museum, but might be worth a quick visit if you have a Boleto Turístico.

• Address: Av. El Sol 103 (basement location)
• Hours: Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Entrance:  with Boleto Turístico
• Phone: (51- 84) 237 380
• Website: none

Museo de Sitio del Qoricancha

The small Qoricancha Site Museum houses various artifacts found during the excavation of the Qoricancha (Qurikancha) archaeology site. The five rooms also contain pre-Hispanic pottery, paintings from the Viceroyalty of Peru, and photographs of the excavation. It’s a piecemeal collection, but worth a visit if you already have the Boleto Turístico and you want to pass some time.

• Address: Av. El Sol (no number), underground location in front of the Santo Domingo convent
• Hours: Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays 9 a.m. to midday
• Entrance: S/.10 (included in the Boleto Turístico)
• Website: none

Museo Historico Regional

Housed in the former home of the celebrated chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega, the Museo Historico Regional exhibits a mix of artifacts from the earliest inhabitants of Peru through to the start of the modern era. The rooms are ordered chronologically, beginning with the Pleistocene epoch and moving through to the Preceramic period and onto the Incas. The museum also houses a collection of paintings from the Roman Catholic artistic tradition known as the Cusqueña School.

• Address: Casa Garcilaso de la Vega, Calle Heladeros (two blocks from the Plaza de Armas)
• Hours: daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Entrance: with Boleto Turístico
• Website: none

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Museo de Arte Contemporáneo

Cusco’s Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art displays a small collection of local paintings. Don’t go expecting a fully-fledged contemporary art museum -- you’ll be disappointed if you do. It’s perhaps worth a quick visit if you have a Boleto Turístico and can’t think of anything better to do.

• Address: Palacio Municipal, Plaza Regocijo
• Hours: Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Entrance:  with Boleto Turístico
• Website: none

Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo

The Cusco Center for Native Art features live nightly performances of traditional local music and folkloric dance. The little attached museum is worth a visit to see examples of instruments and traditional dress.

• Address: Av. El Sol 604, Cusco
• Hours: the one-hour show typically starts at 6:45 p.m. You can visit the museum afterwards.
• Entrance:  with the Boleto Turístico
• Website: none

Museo de Arte Religioso

The Museum of Religious Art is one of four attractions featured on the Boleto Religioso (Religious Ticket), a more pious alternative to the standard Boleto Turístico. Along with the classic architecture of the building itself, you’ll also see a number of religious paintings from the colonial period, as well as works by the indigenous artist Marcos Zapata. A short visit will suffice, unless you are a particular fan of this style and period.

• Address: Intersection of Hatun Rumiyoq and Herejes
• Hours: Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Entrance: S/.15 (or included with the Boleto Religioso, which costs S/.40)
• Website: none