Museo de Arqueología

Trujillo

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This well-curated museum features a rundown of Peruvian history from 12,000 BC to the present day, with an emphasis on Moche, Chimú and Inca civilizations as well as the lesser-known Cupisnique and Salinar cultures. It’s also worth popping in for the house itself: a restored 17th-century mansion known as La Casa Risco, which features striking cedar pillars and gorgeous painted courtyard walls.

There are sometimes traditional dance performances in the courtyard, which are well worth checking out; ask staff for details.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Intricate carved interior of Huaca de la Luna (Temple of the Moon) archaeological site.

    Huacas del Sol y de la Luna

    2.84 MILES

    If there's one must-see archaeological site in the region, this is it. The Temples of the Sun and the Moon, attributed to the Moche period, are more than…

  • El Brujo Archaeological Complex, just north of Trujillo, La Libertad Province, Peru, is an ancient archaeological site of the Moche Civilisation in the Chicama Valley. Building archaeology unveils seven phases of construction spanning the early and middle phases of Moche era. Huaca Cao Viejo is famous for its polychrome reliefs and mural paintings, and the discovery of the Señora de Cao. The 25 year old woman buried here was believed to be a 3rd century AD female ruler of the Moche state, and her tomb was full of gold and other previous artifacts. The murals at the complex also depict the ritual human sacrifice that took place here regularly: teams of men would engage in ritual battles and the losing team would willingly be sacrificed to the gods to ensure fertility and peace in the community. Murals show the naked warriors (with fully erect penis) being marched to the sacrificial platform to be decapitated and blood to be collected for the gods.

    Complejo Arqueológico la Huaca el Brujo

    23.48 MILES

    This archaeological complex right on the coast, about 60km from Trujillo, consists of the Huaca Prieta site, the Huaca El Brujo, which has only been…

  • Museo Huacas de Moche

    Museo Huacas de Moche

    3.06 MILES

    Houses many objects excavated from Huacas del Sol y de la Luna and has descriptions in Spanish and English.

  • Tschudi ruins. Chan Chan, north of Trujillo, Peru.

    Chan Chan

    3.39 MILES

    Built around AD 1300 and covering 20 sq km, Chan Chan is the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas and the largest adobe city in the world. Although…

  • Museo Arqueológico Municipal de Moche

    Museo Arqueológico Municipal de Moche

    4.28 MILES

    Not to be confused with the Museo Huacas de Moche at the Huaca de la Luna site, this museum on the main square in the town of Moche houses around 500…

  • Casa Ganoza Chopitea

    Casa Ganoza Chopitea

    0.22 MILES

    Northeast of the cathedral, this c 1735 mansion, also known as Casa de los Léones, is considered to be the best-preserved mansion of the colonial period…

  • Casa de Urquiaga

    Casa de Urquiaga

    0.29 MILES

    Owned and maintained by Banco Central de la Reserva del Perú since 1972, this beautiful colonial mansion’s history dates to 1604, though the original…

  • Palacio Iturregui

    Palacio Iturregui

    0.13 MILES

    This imposing gray early 19th-century mansion is impossible to ignore. Built in neoclassical style, it has beautiful window gratings, 36 slender interior…

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Nearby Trujillo attractions

1. Iglesia del Carmen

0.12 MILES

The Iglesia del Carmen and its charming monastery is home to an impressive Carmelite museum – the Pinacoteca El Carmen – but visiting is a real mission…

2. Palacio Iturregui

0.13 MILES

This imposing gray early 19th-century mansion is impossible to ignore. Built in neoclassical style, it has beautiful window gratings, 36 slender interior…

3. Casa de la Emancipación

0.14 MILES

Now the Banco BBVA Continental, this building features a mishmash of colonial and Republican styles and is best known as the site where Trujillo’s…

4. Iglesia de la Merced

0.18 MILES

Worth a flyby is the 17th-century Iglesia de la Merced, which has a striking organ and cupola. Uniquely, an altar here is painted on the wall, an…

6. Casona Orbegoso

0.2 MILES

Named after a former president of Peru, this beautiful 18th-century corner manor is home to a collection of well-worn art and period furnishings, but its…

7. Casa Ganoza Chopitea

0.22 MILES

Northeast of the cathedral, this c 1735 mansion, also known as Casa de los Léones, is considered to be the best-preserved mansion of the colonial period…