Museo de Arte Precolombino, Cusco facts for kids
| Museo de Arte Precolombino de Cusco | |
Facade of the Museum.
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| Established | June 2003 |
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| Location | Plazoleta de las Nazarenas, Cusco, Peru |
| Type | Art museum |
| Owner | Larco Museum |
The Pre-Columbian Art Museum (also called MAP) is a special art museum in Cusco, Peru. It shows amazing old objects and artworks from different parts of ancient Peru. These pieces were made before Christopher Columbus arrived.
The museum is located in the San Blas area of Cusco, on Plazoleta de las Nazarenas. It has about 450 unique items on display all the time. These items come from the larger collection of its main museum, the Larco Museum in Lima, Peru's capital city.
History of the Museum Building
The building where the museum is now was once an Inca ceremonial courthouse. In 1580, a Spanish conquistador named Alonso Díaz bought it. A conquistador was a Spanish explorer and soldier who helped conquer lands in the Americas.
Later, the building was rebuilt in a Spanish Colonial style. It became the home of an important person in Cusco, the Viceroy Hernandez de Cabrera. A Viceroy was like a governor who ruled a colony for the king of Spain. The mansion is named after him.
Over the years, many different people owned the building, and it was used for many things. Eventually, it became very old and broken down. After a group called the Fundación BBVA helped fix it up, the Museo de Arte Precolombino opened again in June 2003.
The Peruvian President at the time, Alejandro Toledo, opened the museum. He said that Peru was showing its rich culture to the world. He was proud that Peru could share its culture, which belongs to all of Latin America. He also said that the region should look to its past to build a better future with more health, education, justice, and culture.
Museum Exhibitions
The artworks you can see at the museum cover a long time, from 1250 BC to AD 1532. There are ten different galleries to explore. These include the Formative, Nasca, Mochica, Huari, Chancay – Chimu, Inca, Wood, Jewelry and Stone, Silver, and Gold and Metals galleries.
The Formative Gallery has pieces from many different ancient cultures. Some of these are the Cupisnique, Salinar, Vicus, Viru, and Paracas cultures. During this time (1250 BC to 1 AD), ceramic art became much better. Artists started painting and sculpting. They made beautiful and realistic designs, often with special symbols. Many pieces have detailed carvings, especially from the Cupisnique artists.
The Inca culture took over all the land of pre-Columbian Peru. They were very skilled at politics and built the large Tahuantinsuyo empire. In the Inca Gallery, you can see amazing ceramic objects. These include the famous aribalos, which are large vessels or pots. These pieces have many decorative patterns that share a subtle message about their organization and beliefs. One of these aribalos is very big and is the only one of its kind in the collection.
Other Points of Interest
The museum also has an Auditorium that can hold 120 people. This space is often used for talks and other local events.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de Arte Precolombino (Perú) para niños
