A New National Museum for Pachacamac Archeological Sanctuary Near Lima, Peru

The Peruvian Ministry of Culture has announced the construction of a new national museum within the Pachacamac Archeological Sanctuary this year. The work will commence as soon as the site excavations are complete. The plan has inspired high expectations; as Culture Minster Diana Alvarez Calderon enthused, "finally Peru will have the museum that everybody has been waiting for."

Pachacamac, located about 40km south of Lima in the Lurín River valley, is considered to be the most important archeological complex on the Peruvian desert coast. It includes 17 pyramids where mummies, textiles, and ceramic artifacts have been unearthed. The site has had its share of headline in the last several years, especially in 2012, when researchers unearthed 150 remarkably well-preserved mummies, including infants who were most likely killed for ritualistic reasons.

The new museum will be integrated into the site, with an eye towards visually connecting the interior with its surroundings while still being careful to respect the space of the existing structures. It will also incorpórate green spaces, and a meeting area with store, cafeteria, and restaurant.

The permanent collection will be extensive, as the site has provided an abundance of relics, and it provide insight into important pre-Columbian civilizations from the Huari to the Ichma and the Inca.  

It's projected that the museum will open around mid-2016, but visitors can explore the site even now, while excavations are still ongoing. You can reach the site from San Isidro/Miraflores in metropolitan Lima in about an hour by car, or arrange for a tour of Pachacamac.