Pre-Columbian Art Museum, Cusco

The Pre-Columbian Art Museum is located in a historic building that may originally have housed an Inca school. The structure was rebuilt in the Spanish colonial style in 1580 and later became an orphanage. The museum features pre-Columbian artworks dating from 1250 BC to AD 1532. Its collection includes around 400 works displayed across ten galleries.

The Origins Gallery contains some of the museum's oldest pieces, including engraved ceramic bottles, decorated jugs, and ceramic sculptures. The Wood Gallery houses carved wooden figures representing deceased ancestors.

The Shell Gallery displays shell necklaces and an intricately carved bone pin. In Andean cultures, silver was often associated with femininity, and visitors can see beautifully crafted nose rings and earrings in the Silver Gallery. The Gold Gallery also features delicate and elegant gold earrings.

The South Peru Gallery showcases works from the Nasca culture, including painted ceramic bottles, vases, and jugs. The North Peru Gallery also features ceramic sculptures and vessels, while the Central Peru Gallery focuses on Huari society and its symbolic artworks. Finally, the Inca Gallery displays carved alpacas, wooden keros used for ceremonial toasts, and finely crafted monumental ceramic vessels.