For those who only have a few hours in Lima before catching an overnight flight, the Larco Museum makes a great stop. It’s conveniently located in Pueblo Libre, the halfway point between the Miraflores district and the international airport. It is open more hours than any other museum in the city, and offers its own fine dining option on-site, the highly-rated Café del Museo.
The museum’s building has a layered past. It was an 18th century vice-royal mansion built atop a pre-Columbian pyramid from the 7th century. Today, the mansion has been renovated as a museum and surrounded by a prize-winning garden. Inside, the space is organized thematically rather than chronologically. Visit the section of artifacts that reveal sacrifice rituals of pre-Columbian civilizations, a gallery of body ornaments, and even erotic pottery.
A headdress from the pre-Columbian Mochica era (left). A Pre-Columbian funeral shroud (right).
With Southwind Adventures, you can gain access to a special experience at the Larco Museum, guided by one of its prestigious group of curators. Each of these curators is energetic and passionate about pre-Columbian history, holds an advanced degree, and speaks excellent English. There’s no better way to get inside a museum that alongside one of its own keepers.
Read more about the museum’s curators:
Ulla Holmquist, Chief Curator of the Larco MuseumUlla is an Archaeologist from the Pontificia Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), and Master of Arts in Museum Studies from New York University. She has participated in renowned archaeological discoveries in the Northern Coast of Peru, such as the Moche Priestess of San José de Moro. She is a specialist in the design of didactic exhibits and interpretative programs of pre-Columbian art and archaeology and conducts the museum’s research projects and related educational programs.
An enthusiastic and highly experienced communicator, she is also a university professor in the Archaeology program of PUCP, and of the Cultural Resource Management program at the Universidad San Martín de Porras. Previously, she has been Vice-director of the National Museum, and Curator of Collections at the Art Museum of Lima.
Vanessa Monge, ArchaologistVanessa is an Associate Curator at the Larco Museum. She holds an Archaeology degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP). She has participated in important archaeological projects in the North and central coast of Peru, such as San Diego de Casma and Huaca de la Luna in Trujillo.
For many years she has worked at the Museo de Arte de Lima and at the Museo Larco in their Research Departments, spending most of her time in direct contact with the museums’ marvelous collections, thus becoming increasingly interested in the aesthetic and artistic aspects of these archaeological objects. As a result of this new interest she has become a renowned specialist in Pre-Columbian, Classic and Modern Art History. She is currently an Art History Teacher at the Museo de Arte de Lima Institute and tutors private groups in Classic and Pre-Columbian Art History.
Lucero Silva, AnthropologistLucero Studied Anthropology at PUCP and at Université de Fribourg, Switzerland. She completed her master’s degree in London, at University College London and then worked at the British Museum doing research in the Latin American archaeological collection.
Her interest in the visual and material manifestations of culture has involved her in different anthropological, archaeological and curatorial projects. As a research thesis, she did an ethno-historical study in Nasca, gathering information about the local culture and ecology for better understanding collections at the British Museum. She also did the curatorial project for the new Cao Museum, in the North Coast of Peru, making use of archaeological and anthropological material. Today she works on curatorial and research projects on a freelance basis.
Julio Rucabado, ArcheologistAssociate curator of the Larco Museum, Julio is an archeologist at PUCP with a masters in anthropology from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He has participated in important archeological projects on the Northern coast of Peru and has authored publications about the art of Peru’s Mochica culture and its connections with neighboring high Andean cultures.
His recent studies have specialized him in the development of political and religious organization of Peru’s ancient cultures. Currently he’s a professor in the archeology department of PUCP and an associate researcher on the Archaeological Project San José de Moro, near Trujillo.
How to Reserve
The museum is located at Bolivar 1515, Pueblo Libre 15084, Lima. Open daily 9am to 10pm
Curators are available with prior reservation Monday through Sunday, from 9am to 8pm
Group size between 2 and 10 visitors per curator. We can request a specific curator but the museum reserves the right to assign a curator based on availability for specific dates.
Curator-accompanied visits range from 1 hour, 1.5 hours, or a maximum of 2 hours in length, with corresponding prices.
Request this insider experience as part of your day in Lima on a Southwind private trip, or as part of a classic World of the Incas or Iconic Itinerary in Peru.