Inkariy Museum
In the heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas there is one of the best museums in Cusco, although it is still not so visited. It is the Inkariy museum, a project led by the Mérida family, one of the most representative of Cusco. The exhibition halls show the development of the various cultures of ancient Peru, from Caral (the oldest civilization in South America) to the Incas (the largest empire on the continent). The place has panels, sculptures, videos, audios, educational infographics and more.
All about the Inkariy Museum
Description
The Inkariy museum has 9 rooms, which chronologically follow the oldest cultures of ancient Peru: Caral, Chavín, Paracas, Nazca, Chimú (Lambayeque), Mochica, Wari, Chachapoyas and Inca. Each room has models, infographics, billboards, sculptures, clothing, which provide an idea of the lifestyle and cultural manifestations of each civilization. The place also has a store where tourists can purchase related artisan products. The giant sculpture of the god ‘Wiracocha’ stands out at the entrance to the museum.
For the staging of the Inkariy museum, the joint work of professionals and artists in sculpture, painting, photography, architecture, history, textiles and more was counted on. The rooms exhibit images, sculptures, models and easy-to-read photographs, which seek to show in a simple way the cultural development of pre-Inca civilizations, from their beginnings in 3,000 BC to the development of the Inca empire in the 16th century AD.
Where is?
The Inkariy museum is located at kilometer 53 of the road that connects the Calca towns with Urubamba in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
How to get?
The fastest way to get there is by traveling from the city of Cusco to the town of Calca. Public transport buses depart from Puputi Street, near the historic center of the city. This first leg of the trip will take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Once in the town of Calca, you can take a taxi or public transport to the Inkariy museum, located just 10 minutes by road.
Map to get to the Inkariy Museum
Caral Room
This room exhibits models and visual objects about the Caral civilization, the oldest in South America, which developed between 3,000 BC and 1,500 BC on the north coast of Lima, in the Supe and Barranca valleys. The room includes models on the religious rituals of the Caral population in its main citadel.
Chavín Room
This room exposes the cultural and religious development of the Cupisnique and Chavín cultures, two of the greatest civilizations on the north coast of Peru, which developed between 1,200 BC and 400 BC. sacred monolith with feline characteristics. Likewise, the religious, ceramic and agricultural development that these cultures reached is exposed.
Paracas Room
This room exposes some important cultural characteristics of the Paracas culture, which developed on the southern coast of Peru between 700 BC and 200 BC The exhibition has photographs, panels, models and sculptures on the development of textiles, ceramics and rituals religious of this culture famous for its burials.
Nazca Room
This room shows cultural aspects of the Nazca culture, one of the most important in the southern and northern coast of Peru, which was developed between 100 AD and 800 AD The room includes models, photographs and sculptures that show the agricultural and religious development of this culture, famous for building the ‘Nazca Lines’ in the desert of the present city of Nazca in the department of Ica – Peru.
Wari Room
The Wari culture (for many Wari empire historians) was one of the civilizations that reached the greatest development in the Andes of Peru. It was developed between 600 AD and 1,200 AD The room exhibits models, photographs and panels that show the development in textiles, architecture, religion and the military that this civilization reached. Many of these aspects were taken up and improved by the Incas.
Mochica Room
The Mochica culture is one of the most amazing civilizations on the north coast of Peru. It took place between 150 AD and 700 AD The room exhibits models, sculptures and photographs that give an idea of the textile, religious and goldsmith development that the Moche civilization reached. Its ceramics ‘huacos – portraits’ are famous, as well as the finds from ‘Sipán’, ‘Huaca de la Luna’, ‘Huaca de Cao’ and others.
Chimú Room
This room focuses its attention on the Chimú culture, one of the pre-Inca civilizations developed on the north coast of Peru between 1,000 AD and 1,200 AD. The room exhibits models and sculptures that show the textile, architectural and goldsmith development that reached this culture heir to the Lambayeque and Mochica tradition.
Chachapoyas Room
The Chachapoyas culture is one of the Amazonian civilizations that most developed in textiles, religion and architecture. They settled in the northern high jungle of Peru (current department of Amazonas and San Martín) where they developed between 900 AD and 1470 AD, until they were conquered by the Incas. The room shows the complex development that they reached mainly in their burials and worldview. Its sarcophagi and mausoleums are famous, such as Kuélap.
Inca Room
The Inca room is one of the most complex in the museum. It shows models, sculptures, photographs and panels of the development reached by the Incas, who developedfrom the thirteenth century to the sixteenth century in much of the territory of Peru as well as parts of Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. The works in textiles, goldsmithing, communication and religion that the Incas reached, the largest empire in the South American continent, stand out.
Price
- Foreign adults 35 Peruvian soles (11 US dollars).
- Peruvian adults 30 Peruvian soles (9 US dollars).
- Cusco adults 15 Peruvian soles (5 US dollars).
Schedule
The museum is open to tourists every day of the year, from 9 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon.
Images of the Inkariy Museum
Additional Information
The museum offers special ‘packs’ that include a visit to the museum as well as lunch service for adults and children of all ages. At the end of the visit, it also offers a shop with handicrafts, textiles and other handicrafts with Andean motifs.
The Inkariy museum is one of the few that are located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, since most are in the city of Cusco. Some of the most famous museums are: the ‘Inca Museum’, the ‘Museum of Pre-Columbian Art’, the ‘Machu Picchu museum of the Casa Concha’, the ‘Coricancha Site Museum’, and the ‘Regional Historical Museum’.
Tips
A good option to visit the Inkariy museum is to do it as part of your adventure through the Sacred Valley of the Incas. In this vast area of Inca towns and sites, the archaeological sites of Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero and Moray stand out. A good option is to stay in one of the many hotels that exist in the Sacred Valley.
During your visit to the Inkariy museum and the Sacred Valley of the Incas, do not forget to bring a hat, sunscreen, raincoat, comfortable clothing (coat if night falls), snacks, drinks, camera, cash and your documents personal.