The National Museum of Peru is a national museum in Lurín District, Lima, Peru, located within the archaeological zone of Pachacamac. The museum will hold over a half million artifacts of the Pre-Columbian era and Inca Empire, ranging back to 5,000 BCE.[1] It opened in July 2021 as part of Peru's bicentennial celebrations and is capable of accepting 15,000 guests per day.[2][3]
History
The design of the museum promotes accessibility through ramps.
Planning and construction
Ideas for a national museum were first proposed by José de San Martín in 1822 when he proposed a national museum, library and archive to be constructed during the Peruvian War of Independence.[4] The idea was promoted again nearly two centuries later by Minister of Culture Diana Álvarez Calderón during the administration of President Ollanta Humala in 2013.[5] Humala had initial plans for a museum in Peruvian Amazonia, though Álvarez Calderón urged him to dedicate a national museum to Peru first, with ideas of creating a National Museum of Peru.[5] In May 2014, bidding for the project's design was announced,[6] with architect Alexia León Ángel winning the competition.[2]
The plan involved filling the new museum with pieces from the Museo de la Nación – the former Ministry of Fisheries headquarters from 1970 – and the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History of Peru, which was outdated and did not have proper equipment to maintain the temperature and lighting of displays.[7] The process for safely transferring the items from other sites to the museum was anticipated to take about twenty years.[8] Another area for more contemporary objects was also planned to fill the 70,000 square metres (750,000 sq ft) of space.[7] By late-2017, planned areas for recreation and administration were removed to lower costs, with the seven-story, $125 million museum's area being set at 65,000 square metres (700,000 sq ft).[4][9]
During the government of Francisco Sagasti, the Ministry of Culture announced in November 2020 that the museum was destined to open in July 2021 for the celebration of Peru's two-hundredth anniversary of independence.[10]
Operation
In late July 2021, MUNA opened to the public with a limited display in four galleries.[4] One gallery featured information about the museum's background and construction while another highlighted how Peru's antiquities and culture were exploited by illicit trade.[4] MUNA is expected to be fully operational in 2024.[4]
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