Inaugurated in June 2000, the Museo Leymebamba displays more than 200 mummies and their burial offerings recovered by archaeologists from a looted tomb site overlooking the Laguna de los Condores, or Lake of the Condors. Located in the remote cloud forest,10 hours by horseback from the town of Leymebamba, the lakeside setting once served as the abode of the Chachapoya people, who held sway over this part of Peru from around AD 1200 to 1470. Today this valuable collection, salavaged from looters and vandals by The Bioanthropology Foundation Peru-Centro Mallqui, is housed in the Museo Leymebamba, whose construction was made possible by a donation from a group of Austrian citizens as well as by funds from private donors.

The museum's design reflects local architectural traditions, with regional building techniques and materials used in its construction. GArdens filled with rich and varied fauna surround the museum, while an orchid garden displays more than 100 native orchid species. In addition to the three halls dedicated to the archaeological finds from the Laguna de los Condores, an ethnographic hall presents the varied lifestyles of the region's modern inhabitants, and a lecture hall is destined to house a community center for cultural and scientific activities.

Museo Leymebamba Photo credit: Adriana von Hagen.

Panoramic view of the Museo Leymebamba Photo credit: Adriana von Hagen.

Panoramic view of the Museo Leymebamba Photo credit: Adriana von Hagen.

Mummy bundle from the Laguna de los Condores Photo credit: Adriana von Hagen.