Fodor's Expert Review Museo Nacional de Antropología, Arqueología e Historia del Perú

The country's most extensive collection of pre-Columbian artifacts can be found at this sprawling museum. Beginning with 8,000-year-old stone tools, Peru's history is revealed through the sleek granite obelisks of the Chavín culture, the intricate weavings of Paraca peoples, and the colorful ceramics of the Moche, Chimú, and Inca civilizations. A fascinating pair of mummies from the Nazca region is thought to be more than 2,500 years old. They are so well preserved that you can still see the grim expressions on their faces. The exhibits occupy two colonial houses, in one of which Venezuelan general Simón Bolívar, who led South America's war of independence from Spain, lived for awhile following independence. Not all the exhibits are labeled in English, but you can hire a guide for S/15.