The Pre-Columbian Art Museum (also known by the acronym of its Spanish name MAP) is an art museum in

Cusco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the list of cities in Peru, seventh m ...

, Peru, dedicated to the display of archaeological artifacts and examples of pre-Columbian artworks drawn from all regions of

pre-Columbian Peru Peruvian territory was inhabited 14,000 years ago by hunters and gatherers. Subsequent developments include the appearance of sedentary communities that developed agriculture and irrigation, and the emergence of complex socio-political hierarchies ...

. The museum is situated on Plazoleta de las Nazarenas in Cusco's San Blas district, and has on permanent display exhibitions of some 450 individual representative artifacts that are drawn from the wider collection of its parent museum, the Larco Museum in the Peruvian capital Lima.

History of the building

The building where the museum is now housed was originally an Inca ceremonial courthouse. In 1580, it was acquired by the ''

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, O ...

'' Alonso Díaz and subsequently built over in Colonial style to become the home of an elite member of Cusco society, the Viceroy Hernandez de Cabrera, for whom the mansion is named. It then passed through many hands and had multiple functions, ultimately falling into a ruinous state. After a restoration by the Fundación BBVA, the Museo de Arte Precolombino re-opened in June 2003. Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo inaugurated the museum at the summit, saying "''we are showing the world our cultural wealth. I am profoundly proud that e can give to the summita little of the culture that belongs not only to Peru, but also to Latin America… he region mustlook to its past to construct together a new Latin America with more health, education, justice for the poor and culture.''"XVII Cumbre Presidencial del Grupo de Río
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Exhibitions

The works of art displayed at the museum, encompass a period of time ranging between 1250 BC and AD 1532. There are a total of ten galleries: Formative, Nasca, Mochica, Huari, Chancay – Chimu, Inca, Wood, Jewelry and Stone, Silver, and Gold and Metals. The Formative Gallery houses pieces from many diverse cultures. Among these are

Cupisnique The Cupisnique culture was a pre-Columbian indigenous culture that flourished from c. 1500 to 500 BC along what now is Peru's northern Pacific coast. The culture had a distinctive style of adobe clay architecture. Artifacts of the culture share art ...

, Salinar, Vicus, Viru and Paracas in its older phase or “cavernas”. During this period (1250 B. C - 1 A. D.) there is a remarkable advance in ceramic art. Painting and sculpture take in place; there are beautifully naturalistic and symbolic representations; many of them enriched by the use of incise decoration in which the Cupisnique artist get to a high development. The Inca culture conquered all the territory of pre-Columbian Peru where they restored with great political ability the Tahuantinsuyo empire. In the Inca Gallery magnificent ceramic objects are showcased like the emblematic '' aribalos'' or monumental vessels. These pieces have many decorative elements that transmit a subtle message of organization and symbolism. One of these ''aribalos'' is of great size and is unique to the collection.

Other points of interest

The Museum's Auditorium seats 120 people and often houses lectures and other local events.

References

External links

Museo de Arte Precolombino , Map Cusco
official website {{authority control Museums in Cusco Art museums established in 2003 Museo de Arte Precolombino Art museums and galleries in Peru Pre-Columbian art museums Museo de Arte Precolombino Museo de Arte Precolombino Archaeological museums in Peru