Peru’s ancient history is exceedingly complicated — not to mention new territory for most visitors to the country. Indeed, Peru’s pre-Columbian civilizations were among the most sophisticated of their times; when Egypt was building pyramids, people in Peru were constructing great cities. Lima’s National Museum, the city’s biggest and one of the most important in Peru, guides visitors through the highlights of overlapping and conquering cultures and their achievements, seen not only in architecture (including scale models of most major ruins in Peru), but also in highly advanced ceramics and textiles.
The exhibits, spread over three rambling floors, are ordered chronologically — very helpful for getting a grip on these many cultures dispersed across Peru. They trace the art and history of the earliest inhabitants to the Inca Empire, the last before colonization by the Spaniards. In case you aren’t able to make it to the archaeology-rich north of Peru, pay special attention to the facsimile of the Lord of Sipán discovery, one of the most important in the world in recent years. For the most part, explanations accompanying the exhibits are in both Spanish and English.