Museo Larco
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Why go
- Moche ceramics: about 38,000 pieces within a collection of over 45,000 works
- The storage reserve: one of few museums worldwide to open its depot to the public
- The café terrace over the gardens; the café garden won a 2009 prize for Lima's most beautiful garden
Opening hours
Today09:00 – 19:00Show all
Don't miss
- Erotic pottery galleryThe ritual vessels with sexual motifs are sorted into four themes.The last gallery of the chronological route On the map
- Gold headdressIts side ornaments are shaped like bird wings.Among the gold pieces1300–1532 On the map
- Vault roomGold and silver necklaces and bracelets trace the evolution of goldsmithing.One of the 13 halls On the map
- Sacrifice roomIts tools include the tumi, a knife used for human and animal sacrifice.One of the 13 halls On the map
- Textile roomThe room shows weaving techniques, mainly from the Huari and Chancay cultures.One of the 13 halls On the map
Know before you go
- Open daily, 09:00 to 19:00.
What's inside
- The museum has 13 halls, arranged by geography and chronology.
- Introductory first room: briefly traces the story of the founder, Rafael Larco Hoyle.
- Cultures Gallery: pre-Columbian history in four areas, from the north coast to the highlands.
- North Coast: Cupisnique, Vicus, Moche and Chimú.
- Central Coast: Lima and Chancay.
- South Coast: Paracas, Nazca and Chincha.
- Highlands: Chavín, Tiahuanaco, Huari and Inca.
- The gallery's crowns, earrings, nose ornaments and masks are finely wrought in gold.
- Other galleries, including Ceramics, Metals and Textiles, show the entire classified collection.
- Museum Gallery Shop: ceramic, metal and textile reproductions made by craftsmen across Peru.
- Reproductions: the museum sets formal techniques and checks each piece for quality.
Tips for your visit
- The café's terrace looks out over the museum and its gardens.
- The 1997 book The Spirit of Ancient Peru presents treasures from the collection.
Tours and audio guides
- Virtual tour
- Online, on Google Arts & Culture
Interesting facts2
-
The building reuses locks and beams from the Larco family's old house.
Musée Larco - Wikipedia -
5 million
Its works travel to leading museums worldwide, and over 5 million people have seen them.
Musée Larco - Wikipedia
Shorts
History
The arrival of these pieces sparked a collector's passion in his son, Rafael Larco Hoyle. His uncle, Victor Larco Herrera, urged him to found a museum that could guard relics from clandestine excavators. Larco Hoyle also bought two large collections: 8,000 pieces from Roa and 6,000 from Carranza. In 1962 the museum itself moved to Lima. It was fully renovated and enlarged in 2009. Andrés Alvarez Calderón, grandson of Rafael Larco Hoyle, runs it today.
- 7th centuryThe museum stands on the remains of a 7th-century pyramid.
- 1925Rafael Larco Herrera buys about 600 ceramic pieces from Alfredo Hoyle, the first part of the collection.
- 1926The museum opens to the public on 28 July, Independence Day, in Trujillo.
- 1949The Larco family moves to Lima and has a museum building put up there, built privately.
- 1960sRafael Larco Hoyle finds the objects later shown in the erotic pottery hall.
Show all
- 1962The museum moves from Trujillo to Lima.
- 2009The museum is fully renovated and enlarged.
Sources: Larco Museum - Wikipedia · Lima/West - Wikivoyage (eat) · Museo Larco Café-Restaurant - · Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera - Wikip… · Musée Larco - Wikipedia · checked 18 Oct 2026
- Website
- museolarco.org/
- Phone
- +5114611312
Questions and answers
What are the opening hours of Museo Larco?
Museo Larco opens every day from 09:00 to 19:00.
Where is Museo Larco and how far is it from the centre of Lima?
The museum is at Avenida Bolivar 1515 in Pueblo Libre. It is about 15 minutes from the historic city centre.
What is Museo Larco best known for?
It is best known for its gallery of pre-Columbian erotic pottery. Its Moche collection is its other major strength.
When did Museo Larco move to Lima?
The Larco family moved to Lima in 1949 and had a building put up. The museum itself moved from Trujillo in 1962.
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