The Gold Museum is considered one of Lima’s premier attractions. It houses the private collection of Miguel Mujica Gallo, who spent years amassing it, often by purchasing relics from grave robbers. It features gold figures, jewelry, masks, knives and artifacts from the Inca and colonial periods. It also contains mummies, headdresses and other ancient relics.

In 2001, a huge scandal broke out. It was proven that many of the pieces in the museum were fakes. Experts had been suspicious of many of the pieces for years. The Mujica Gallo family claimed that the fakes had been purchased by mistake and that the museum now only houses genuine pieces. However there is still a cloud of skepticism that hangs over the exhibits.

Upstairs from the Gold Museum is the equally fascinating Arms museum, which houses weapons and armor from many cultures. Artifacts from Peru’s history, such as items owned by the Pizarro brothers and Simón Bolívar, are also on display. You may want to do both museums as part of a tour, since the displays are not always clearly marked

Museum

4 & 5** Custom & Scheduled Tours by www.SouthAmerica.travel Create your own travel itinerary with our custom Travel Planner, or choose from one of our 100s of carefully designed itineraries. Special escorted departures. SouthAmerica.travel