There are important museums that you should visit while staying in Cusco. Although “International Museum Day” is celebrated on May 18, different activities take place the whole month.
Unfortunately, museums in Cusco are closed due to the pandemic. However, that is not an excuse to continue visiting them. We can say so since the Peruvian Culture Ministry let us visit the museums through a virtual platform.
It’s awesome, isn’t it? With only a click you can access the museum that you prefer. We thank this initiative to technology and of course Culture Ministry.
Museum’s mission is to preserve and exhibit works of art, research, collections, culture, etc that were done in the past and had influenced the history of a country over time. Inkayni Peru Tours takes you to the most outstanding Museums in Cusco.
1.- Religious Art Museum of the Archbishop’s Palace of Cusco
This museum has exhibition of religious art works of the colonial time and paintings. Beautiful colonial mansion, in which highlights its front and balconies, was built on the real palace of the Inca Sinchi Roca.
In one of its megalithic walls, in the lateral part, on the street Hatunrumiyoc, is located the famous 12-angle stone. The museum is located on the corner of Hatun Rumiyoc and Herrajes street, one block from Plaza de Armas of Cusco.
2.- Pre-Columbian Art Museum
Pre-Columbian Art Museum was an Inca ceremonial court around 1450 AD. In 1580 became into the mansion of the conqueror Alonso Díaz and in 1850 of the Earl of Cabrera . It was restored to be the Pre-Columbian Art Museum since June 2003.
This extraordinary Cusco historic monument, holds the only museum in Peru dedicated to rebound the arts of ancient Peruvian cultures.
3.- Inca Museum or the Admiral’s House
Inca Museum is also known as the Admiral’s House because it was built by Admiral Alderete Maldonado in the 17th century. It is located on a street that was baptized after the admiral, Cuesta del Almirante, 103, in Cusco, on the walk up from Plaza de Armas to Plaza Nazarenas.
It was badly damaged in the 1650 earthquake and rebuilt by Pedro Peralta de los Ríos, the count of Laguna, whose crest is above the porch. Further damage from the 1950 earthquake has now been fully repaired, restoring the building to its position among Cuzco’s finest colonial houses.
This museum contains everyday items such as ceramics, textiles, vases, jewelry, queros (ceremonial Inca wooden drinking vessels) and a large number of Inca mummies. The state-owned museum is run and managed by Cusco’s San Antonio Abad University.
4.- Museum of the Cathedral
In the Museum of the Cathedral is you can explore the fantastic architecture and art within the church. You can also see the subtleties of how the Incas incorporated their own religion into Catholicism after the Spanish conquest.
Visit our blog to learn more about the Cathedral of Cusco.
Location: Next to Plaza de Armas of Cusco
Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday: From 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
5.- Convent of the Merced Museum
Convent of La Merced, is a minor basilica located 100 meters southwest of the Plaza de Armas, in front of the Plazoleta Espinar. Here you can observe paintings based on the life of San Pedro Nolasco, who founded the order of La Merced in Barcelona in 1218, hang on the walls of the beautiful colonial cloister.
The museum’s most famous possession is a priceless solid-gold monstrance, 1.2m high and covered with rubies, emeralds and no fewer than 1500 diamonds and 600 pearls. This monstrance has carved among them some angels in the upper part, the virgin in the center, bottom the mermaid and a sheep near the base of the monstrance.
You can also visit one of the most popular tourist attractions in the convent of La Merced, the cell of Father Salamanca who created surrealist canvases in the Mercedarian cloister.
Opening Hours and entrance fee:
Monday to Sunday: From 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The entrance fee is included in the Tourist Ticket.
6.- Museum of Contemporary Art:
Museum of Contemporary Art is perfect for those who enjoy modern art. This museum features contemporary canvases, along with paintings and sculptures of modern art. On the first floor, you can admire the exhibition of contemporary handicrafts. And on the second floor, you can enjoy the work of painters of Cusco from the XX century such as Edilberto Mérida, Antonio Olave, and Hilario Mendivil..
Location: Museum of Contemporary Art is located in the Municipality of Cusco.
7.- Regional Historical Museum or House of Garcilaso
Museum located in the house of famous writer and chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega. It was built in the 16th century. You can observe various historical artifacts including musical instruments, agricultural tools, and ceramics from the pre-Incan times. The museum also exhibits contemporary art, and paintings and metal work from the Colonial period.
8.- Museum of American Art Institute:
Museum of American Art Institute houses more than 2,000 handmade pieces made by artists from Cusco since 1937. This museum displays works of art such as sculptures, ceramics, photographs and others of the most renowned craftsmen of Cusco.
Location:
It is located in the Touristic Galleries, where the sale offices for the Touristic Ticket of Cusco are located. At 103 El Sol Av.
9.- Santa Catalina Museum
This Museum offers a unique insight into the 17th century Santa Catalina Monastery and the nuns that live within its walls. There is also a spectacular exhibition of religious art which features three paintings from the indigenous artist Diego Quispe Tito. They are among some of the finest painting in the city.
Location: 401 Santa Catalina Angosta Street.
10.- Qoricancha Museum:
Qoricancha Archeological Museum exhibits archeological finds from Pre-Inca, Inca and Colonial times. The artifacts have been gathered from a variety of Inca sites surrounding the city. Most of the museum’s pieces were excavated from the Temple of Qoricancha site in the early 1990s.
Location: It is located underground, under the the esplanade of Qoricancha, at 256 Sol Av., Cusco.
Opening Hours:
Qoricancha Museum is open from Monday to Saturday from 9:00 am to 18:00 pm.
Entrance fee:
There is a general entrance ticket to visit all the museums in Cusco. It costs S/.70 PEN.
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“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi