279 Best Sights in Peru

An extensive collection of Cusqueñan religious art is the draw at this still-working Dominican convent, which incorporates a 1610 church with high and low choirs and baroque friezes. Although there's not much to show of it these days, the convent represents another example of the pasting of Catholic religion over Indigenous faiths—it was built on the site of the Acllawasi, the house of some 3,000 Inca chosen women dedicated to teaching, weaving Inca ceremonial robes, and worshiping Inti, the Inca sun god. The entire complex was given a face-lift in 2010.

Still used as a nunnery, this handsome structure built in the mid-1700s is Trujillo's finest showcase for colonial art. The church boasts five elaborate altars and some fine floral frescoes, but even more interesting is the adjoining museum, the Pinacoteca Carmelita, with religious paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries and an exhibit on restoration techniques. Visiting hours are erratic, so if you elect to go, it helps to be persistent.

Scientists still marvel at the agricultural technology the Inca used at Moray. Taking advantage of four natural depressions in the ground and angles of sunlight, Indigenous engineers fashioned concentric circular irrigation terraces, 150 meters (492 feet) from top to bottom. This design resulted in a temperature difference of 15°C (60°F) from top to bottom, creating a series of engineered microclimates perfect for adapting, experimenting, mixing, matching, and cultivating foods, especially varieties of maize, the staple of the Inca Empire and normally impossible to grow at this altitude. Though the technology is attributed to the Inca, the lower portions of the complex are thought to date from the pre-Inca Wari culture. Entrance to Moray is included in the Boleto Turístico.

Although it resembles the colonial-era buildings that abound in the area, the Municipalidad (City Hall) was constructed in 1944. Step into the foyer to see the stained-glass windows above the marble staircase. To the south of the building is a popular pedestrian walkway called the Portal de los Escribanos, or Passage of the Scribes, lined with restaurants. On the right, you'll find the entrance to a small gallery run by City Hall that hosts exhibitions by Peruvian artists.

Although relatively small, this private museum of pre-Columbian artifacts holds some of the city's best textiles, in addition to well-preserved ceramics and other handiwork. The museum was founded by Japanese businessman and collector Yoshitaro Amano in 1964 and expanded and remodeled by his offspring in 2015. The chronological exhibition charts Peru's artistic development from 800 BC to the 15th century across four halls packed with well-preserved pieces from pre-Inca cultures, including the Paracas, Nazca, Moche, and Chancay. The impressive collection of weavings contains some that are almost 2,000 years old; miraculously, many have retained their vivid colors and (sometimes comic) imagery. Displays are in English and Spanish; you can also call ahead to reserve an English-speaking guide.

For an overview of the Nazca culture and the various archaeological sites in the region, this Italian-run museum is the best in town. The exhibits, made up of materials excavated from the surrounding digs, are heavy on scientific information and light on entertainment, although the display of Nazca trophy skulls will appeal to the morbid, and textiles fans will appreciate the display of painted fabrics from the ancient adobe city of Cahuachi. All the signage is in Spanish, so ask for the translation book at the front desk. Don't miss the still-functional Nazca aqueduct in the back garden.

What draws visitors to this small museum is the park out back, which has a delightful assortment of pre-Hispanic statues from the Chavín and Recuay cultures. The musicians, warriors, and gods here will keep you company as you reflect on the mummies and ceramics you've examined in the museum's inner rooms.

Upstairs, numerous skulls bear the scars (or rather holes) from trepanation, the removal of bone from the skull.

There are also textiles, metalwork, and a room dedicated to ancient Andean beliefs about the afterlife.

With a solid collection of Indigenous pottery and textiles, human-sacrificed bones, and gold and silver offerings from Inca times, this archaeology museum at the Universidad Nacional de San Agustín provides insight into local archaeology and ruins.

While not as thrilling as the Sipán museum next door, this archaeological collection opens a window onto daily life among different pre-Inca civilizations. Interpretive displays show how the Moche, Lambayeque, and other pre-Inca cultures—such as the Cupisnique, Chavín, Chimú, and Sicán—fished, harvested, and kept their homes. There's also a wonderful photography sequence portraying the archaeologist Hans Heinrich Brüning and his experiences in Peru, beginning in the late 1800s. Interested in pre-Columbian gender roles? Check out the exhibit on the Sacerdotisa of Chornancap, a Moche priestess whose tomb was unearthed in 2011. The funerary bundle of 300 ceramic, gold, and silver objects affords a tantalizing glimpse into the possibilities open to at least some women in ancient Peru.

Located in the Casona Vivanco, a 17th-century mansion, the Museo Cáceres was once the home of Andrés Avelino Cáceres, an Ayacucho resident and former Peruvian president best known for his successful guerrilla leadership during the 1879–83 War of the Pacific against Chile. This is one of the city's best-preserved historic buildings, and today houses a mix of military memorabilia and ancient local artifacts, including stone carvings and ceramics. Note the gallery of colonial-style paintings. The Museo de Arte Religioso Colonial can also be found within these storied walls, and exhibits antique objects from the city's early days.

An exhibit of 501 gold pieces called the "Great Treasure of Sillustani" has helped to make this one of the most important regional archaeological museums in southern Peru. The intimate museum is named for famed Puno painter and antiques collector Carlos Dreyer Spohr, whose oil-on-canvas works you can view here, in addition to exploring exhibits of pre-Hispanic and colonial art, weavings, silver, copper works, delicate Aymara pottery, pre-Inca stone sculptures, and historical Spanish documents on the founding of Puno. Plan to spend about an hour here.

Curious to find the real meaning of the Nazca Lines? Head to this small building on the Plaza de Armas, which contains a collection of more than 11,000 intricately carved stones and boulders depicting varied pre-Columbian themes, ranging from ancient surgical techniques to dinosaurs. The charismatic and eccentric founder, Dr. Javier Cabrera, studied the stones for many years, and the staffers are more than happy to explain to you how they prove the existence of an advanced pre-Columbian society that created the Nazca Lines as a magnetic landing strip for their spacecraft (they even have the diagram to prove it!). It's essential to make a reservation before you go, as hours are irregular.

Regional finds from Peru's various pre-Hispanic cultures are on display at this small museum, with artifacts from the locally based Huari logically given pride of place. Highlights include textiles, domestic implements, and mummies from some of the area's earliest inhabitants. The museum is located in the Centro Cultural Simón Bolívar of Ayacucho's local university.

Housed in an 18th-century mansion known as Casa Risco, this museum displays pottery and other artifacts recovered from the archaeological sites surrounding Trujillo. There are excellent reproductions of the colorful murals found at the Huaca de la Luna, one of the pyramids southeast of the city, as well as a lovely courtyard.

This museum is run by a privately funded institute on land donated by the Municipality of Barranco. Its minimalistic, rectangular exhibition spaces house a permanent collection by Latin American and European artists that dates from the past 60 years, as well as temporary shows that change every few months. The main hall overlooks a metal sculpture by Veronica Wiesse perched over a reflection pond; beyond it lies a small park that's used for fairs and other events.

The building may be on the dark and musty side, but this San Blas museum has a remarkable collection of religious art. Originally the site of the Inca Roca's Hatun Rumiyoq palace, then the juxtaposed Moorish-style palace of the Marqués de Buenavista, the building reverted to the Archdiocese of Cusco and served as the archbishop's residence. In this primary repository of religious art in the city many of the paintings in the collection are anonymous, but you'll notice some by the renowned Indigenous artist Marcos Zapata. A highlight is a series of 17th-century paintings that depict the city's Corpus Christi procession. Free audio guides are available.

The Ayapua, a 33-meter (108-foot) boat built in Hamburg, Germany in 1906, navigated the Amazon for much of the rubber boom and was brought to Iquitos by the nonprofit Fundamazonia in 2006 to be renovated and turned into a museum. It is now moored next to Plaza Ramón Castilla, on the Itaya River, and contains displays about the rubber boom and historic photos of the region from that era. 

A hidden gem, this museum pays tribute to the infamous coca leaf and Peruvian folklore. The quaint museum includes a folklore exhibit as well as everything you'd ever want to know about the coca leaf. Presented in English and Spanish, displays are well constructed with educational videos and photographs. The mission is not to promote coca but merely to share the plant's history and culture. The folklore exhibit displays elaborately constructed costumes worn during festivals and shares the history behind the dances. Visit the store and purchase some coca-based products or have your future read in the leaves.

Immerse yourself in Latin American revolutionary history through exhibits in the compact Museo de Quinua, which has on display relics from the Battle of Ayacucho. Next door, be sure to visit the room where the Spanish signed the final peace accords recognizing the continent's independence. Come the first week in December to celebrate the town's role in Peru's democracy, when you'll see extravagant local performances, parties, parades, and crafts fairs. There's also a little local market on Sunday.

The road to this Moche site, excavated by Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva in 1987, winds north from the town of Sipán past sugarcane plantations and through a hot green valley. Just to the west stands a stark, deeply cleft mound—all that remains of the temple known as Huaca Rajada.

Here, over the course of two years, three massive tombs were unearthed, dating from between AD 100 and 250 and constituting one of the most complete archaeological finds ever made in the Western Hemisphere.

The tombs’ occupants were all Moche royalty. The first, the so-called Señor (Lord) of Sipán, was between 35 and 45 at the time of his death and had presided over a vast swath of the Lambayeque valley. His status exempted him from having to journey solo to the other world: interred with him were seven members of his entourage, including a guard (whose feet were amputated to ensure he didn't abandon his post), three young women, two warriors, and a 10-year-old child. Also present were a dog and two llamas. The tombs' other two tenants, a Moche priest and an elderly ruler related matrilineally to the Señor, were similarly high in the pecking order. Meanwhile, arranged around the royal coffins was an extravagance of riches: headdresses, gold earspools, pectoral shields, nose rings, spondylus-shell ornaments—all expertly worked by Moche smiths and all of dazzling beauty and artistry. 

Today, visitors to Huaca Rajada can approximate the astonishment felt by Walter Alva and his team by seeing an exact mock-up of the original graves. The artifacts in the tombs are replicas—the real ones are in the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán, in Lambayeque—but seeing the mausoleum as the Moche left it 1,800 years ago conveys some of the excitement of archaeology at its most dramatic. You can also check out some excavated objects in the on-site museum. English-speaking guides are available for around S/40.

The museum—dedicated to the history, culture, and rediscovery of Machu Picchu—sits on the way up to the ruins about 2 km (1 mile) from the edge of town at the entrance to the national park. Walking is the best way to get here. Plan on about a 30-minute hike. You'll get a bit more insight at the Casa Concha Museum in Cusco, where the repatriated artifacts returned from Yale University are being exhibited, but there are some interesting pieces on display here, some recovered as recently as 2004. Admission also includes entrance to a small but interesting botanical garden at the same site.

Puppets, puzzles, toys, games—what could be more fun than a toy museum? This private collection houses a large array of toys from all over the world and shows their transformation through the centuries.

The toys from pre-Columbian Peru are especially interesting, affording a rare glimpse into the daily lives of ancient people.

Unfortunately, you can't play with the items on display, so the museum may not be appropriate for very young children.

The former home of San Blas's most famous son, the 20th-century Peruvian religious artist Hilario Mendívil (1929–77), makes a good stop if you have an interest in Cusqeñan art and iconography. Legend has it that Mendívil saw llamas parading in the Corpus Christi procession as a child and later infused this image into his religious art, depicting all his figures with long, llama-like necks.

In the small gallery are the maguey-wood and rice-plaster sculptures of the Virgin with the elongated necks that were the artist's trademark.

There's also a shop selling Mendívil-style work.

Everyone comes to "ooh" and "eeww" over this archaeological museum's collection of Inca mummies, but the entire facility serves as a comprehensive introduction to pre-Columbian Andean culture. Packed with textiles, ceramics, and dioramas, there's a lot to see here, and displays bear labels in Spanish and English. One room is dedicated to the story of Mamakuka ("Mother Coca"), and documents Indigenous people's use of the coca leaf for religious and medicinal purposes. The building was once the palace of Admiral Francisco Aldrete Maldonado, the reason for its common designation as the Palacio del Almirante (Admiral's Palace).

One of the most striking museums in all of Peru, the Museo Leymebamba, which opened in 2000, is situated in a small village 80 km (50 miles) south of Chachapoyas. Inside are more than 200 mummies, some dating back over 500 years, that were discovered high on a limestone cliff above the Laguna de los Cóndores in 1997, together with other artifacts from the Chachapoyas culture. The lovely grounds feature reconstructions of 12th-century dwellings and are themselves worth the visit. Day trips are available from downtown Chachapoyas; otherwise you can take a Cajamarca-bound bus (via Celendín) and ask to be let off at Leymebamba.

Artifacts that Hiram Bingham unearthed during his 1911 "discovery" of Machu Picchu and brought back to Yale University resided with the university for a century. After a hotly contested custody battle, an agreement was reached between Peru and Yale, and the artifacts began to be returned to Peru in 2011. Some can now be seen on display at this small but fascinating museum housed in a colonial mansion built atop the palace of Tupac Yupanqui. While the artifacts are interesting, the real reason to go is for the video, which presents research findings on these pieces. If you have time, visit the museum before your trip to Machu Picchu for a deeper understanding of what is currently known, and still unknown, about this world wonder.

Take a refreshing turn back toward the present in this city of history. As is typically the case in Cusco, the museum is housed in a colonial mansion. But the art exhibits, which rotate constantly, display some of the best work that contemporary Peruvian artists have to offer.

Housed in an 18th-century quinta that has been occupied by both José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar, this fascinating if somewhat discombobulated museum is like Peru's national attic. The left wing is dedicated to pre-Columbian civilizations, with special emphasis on the cultures of Paracas, Chavín, and Nazca; in it, the crowning treasure is the Stella Raimondi, a 2,000-year-old slab inscribed with images of the so-called Staff God, a deity born in Chavín de Huántar that presided over Andean religion for more than a millennium. On the museum's right side, a rambling mansion harbors a collection of independence-era artifacts, including Bolívar's own saber, a pair of viceregal carriages, and reconstructions of a typical 18th-century Lima interior. It's a bit of a hodgepodge, but the peek it affords into Peru's 5,000-year evolution is tantalizing.

Part of the museum's pre-Hispanic wing was closed for remodeling as of this writing, but the exhibits featuring the Stella Raimondi and the Tello Obelisk remain open, as are the museum's beautifully refurbished republican-era halls.

Offering fascinating insights into the culture of the Sicán people, this museum also has exhibits on such topics as the El Niño effect and where pre-Inca civilizations fit into world history. Visual timelines hammer home just how far back Peruvian history goes. The displays introducing the Sicán (also known as the Lambayeque) touch on everything from common eating utensils to ceremonial burial urns, with models of what their homes might have looked like and a central room full of amazing headdresses and masks. The replicas of tombs are especially cool.