TripAdvisor’s Traveller’s Choice Awards have recently released the 2018 list of the top museums in the world. Lima’s Museo Larco has been recognized as the best museum in South America and one of the twenty best in the world. Aracari spoke with Andres Alvaréz Calderón, the president of Museo Larco, about the meaning of this recognition and the challenges ahead. “This seal of excellence makes us review our entire system to make sure we deliver an experience that fits the expectation of thousands of TripAdvisor readers who in many cases plan their Peru trips around a visit to the Museum, named the third tourist attraction in Peru after Machu Picchu and Cusco’s historic center.”
About Museo Larco: The Best Museum in South America
Museo Larco was founded in 1926 by archaeologist Rafael Larco Hoyle. Its focus is on ancient Peru, exhibiting a collection of 45,000 pieces and 5000 years of history. The Museum occupies an old mansion from the 18th century that was built on top of a pre-Columbian pyramid from the 7th century. Museo Larco is specially known for its erotic pottery collection, its open archives and exquisite gardens. “Museums are built to keep the best of humanity for the rest of humanity. This is why the preservation of our collections is as crucial as the continuous research and communication around them. Each piece contains information that is of extreme value for humanity”, affirms Alvarez Calderon.
“A Museum would not be anything without the public and this recognition is the proof of that. This is why we are very focused on experiences that merge the past with the present through the five senses expressed, aside from our collection, in beautiful gardens and world-class delicious Peruvian food.”
Connecting with the Past
“If there is one crucial aspect of the Museo Larco experience, it is the emphasis in storytelling, in allowing for a closer encounter with Peru’s ancient history: how the different civilizations organized and understood the world around a life cycle that respected nature always with a long term vision. The Museum’s information panels pay homage to the way Ancient Peruvians conceived the world through storytelling, poetry, metaphors and a constant search for identity and meaning in relationship to the earth (the world beneath), the heavens (the world above).”
Aracari’s tailormade itineraries include private visits with experts to Museo Larco.
Museo Larco
Av. Bolívar 1515, Pueblo Libre.
www.museolarco.org