The Inca Museum is considered the best in Cusco. It has an important collection of ceramics, textiles, tools and even mummies from the Inca and pre-Inca era. The museum is located just a few steps from the Plaza de Armas, in a colonial house called ‘La Casa del Almirante’ and the former palace of the Inca Huáscar. Admission costs 10 soles for foreigners and 5 soles for Peruvians. The museum is open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm. Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 4 pm. Learn more!

• The Inka Museum, the best in Cusco
• Why should I visit the Inca Museum in Cusco?
• What will I find in the Inka museum?
• The halls and exhibits of the Inka museum
• Location
• Costs
• Opening hours
• More information
• Questions and Answers: Inca Museum of Cusco

Inca statue at the entrance of the Inca Museum

The great history of Cusco, the capital of the Inca empire
Are you interested in the culture of the Incas? Then the city of Cusco offers a variety of very attractive museums for visitors. Among these, the San Antonio Abad University (UNSAAC) or, simply, the Inca Museum, is one of the best options. This is due to the large number of silver, gold, textile, mummies and, especially, the collection of keros or Inca vases (the largest in the world) that this cultural site has.

The Inka Museum, the best in Cusco

• In the city of Cusco there are several museums among which the following stand out: the Pre-Columbian Art Museum, the Coricancha Site Museum, the Casa Concha Museum and the Inca Museum.
• The Inca Museum is considered the best in Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire.
• The museum has an important collection of ceramics, textiles, stone and wood tools and even Inca mummies.
• The museum has seven rooms that show the progress of ancient Peruvian cultures, from the first inhabitants of Cusco, such as: the Chavín (1,200 – 400 BC), the Marcavalle (1,000 – 700 BC), the Nazca (100 – 800 AD), Wari (600 – 1,200 AD), to the Inca period (1230 – 1535 AD).
• In addition, the museum has a collection of paintings from the colonial era (Cusco school of painting).
• The collection includes Moche ceramics, Inca ceremonial vessels, Paracas cloaks, gold and silver objects, and even cranial trepanations.
• The museum also has modern exhibitions of Andean textiles made in a traditional way in the town of Chinchero (Sacred Valley of the Incas).
• Finally, the museum offers models of archaeological sites, educational maps, a representation of an Inca tomb, and all within a colonial mansion with a lot of history. The mansion was part of the Casa del Almirante (in reference to Admiral Alderete Maldonado).
• Before the colonial era, the complex was the palace of Emperor Huáscar.

Entrance to the Inka Museum

Why should I visit the Inca Museum in Cusco?

• The Inka Museum has a very relevant historical importance because it is here where Huáscar, emperor of the Tahuantinsuyu, was housed during the Incan period.
• It is also known as the Admiral’s House because it was built in the 17th century by Admiral Alderete Maldonado.
• Its structure has been preserved to this day, despite being damaged by an earthquake in 1950. However, in 1952, part of the building was demolished and then restored.
• In the process, original pieces and a significant number of coffered ceilings were lost. The treasures that this museum houses date from the pre-Inca era to the 20th century. The history of Cusco is summed up there.

Inka Museum courtyard

What will I find in the Inka museum?

• In chronological order, the Archaeological Museum of Cusco (also known as this museum) shows the development of several pre-Inca cultures such as Chavín (1000 BC), Marcavalle (1000 BC), Nazca (1000 BC), Wari (800 AD) and others until the beginning of the Incas.
• The exhibition also highlights the importance of the environment, subsistence techniques, activities and even the recreation of an Inca tomb, also known as Mallki Wasi.
• Its collection includes important pieces such as textiles, ceremonial vessels, ceremonial glasses (keros), gold and silver work, weapons of war, mummified human remains and much more.

These are some of the objects that can be found in the Museum

The halls and exhibits of the Inka museum

The Inca and pre-Inca traditions are still important today due to the cultural identity with the people of Cusco. At the Inca Museum there are temporary exhibitions that highlight the tradition of the Andean communities that still practice what they learned from their ancestors. Cusco artists exhibit their works such as: stone carving, weaving, ceramics and more.

These are the rooms on display:

• Pre-Inca Cultures Room – This room displays ceramics and stone artifacts from pre-Inca cultures, mainly: Chavín, Paracas, Nazca, Wari, Mochica and Chimú.
• Pre-Inca Human Settlements Room – This room displays panels, ceramics and stone tools from the first cultures that inhabited the Cusco region, such as: Marcavalle, Qorakalli, Chanapata and more.
• Environment room – This room shows the different geographical regions of Cusco, such as Quechua, Puna or Yunga (jungle region). The demonstration is done through maps and models with infographics.
• Inca Origins Room – This room shows the origin of the Inca ethnic group from the Altiplano around the 12th century. There are maps, infographics and ceramics that give an account of the early years of the Incas in the Cusco Valley.
• Inca Continuity Room – This room is also known as ‘The Incas of Qosqo’ as it houses a collection of ceremonial vessels, textiles, ceramics and drawings (by Guamán Poma de Ayala) from the imperial era of the Incas.
• Spanish Invasion Room – As its name suggests, this room displays sculpture, paintings, portraits and furniture from the Spanish era in Cusco (from the 16th century).
• Mallki Wasi Room or Inca Tombs – This room has a sample of an Inca tomb with mummies and surrounded by sacred objects such as ceramics, textiles and offerings to the gods.

Incredible stone carving

Location

The Inca museum is located at Cuesta del Almirante 103, near the Plaza de Armas in Cusco. From there, you only have to walk a few steps (behind the Cathedral) to access the museum’s entrance.

How to get to the Inka Museum from the Plaza de Armas

Costs

These are the museum entrance ticket rates:

Opening hours

Opening hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

More information

• The architectural beauty of the Inka Museum is a great attraction for visitors. The most representative feature of the place are the coffered ceilings characteristic of the period. The façade of the main door is characterized by its pedestal columns.
• The decoration is made with circular rosettes and squares. This structure was repeated in many houses in Cusco at that time.

Questions and Answers: Inca Museum of Cusco

• 1) Where is the Inca museum in Cusco?

  The Inca Museum of Cusco is located at 103 Cuesta del Almirante Street, a few steps from the Plaza de Armas of Cusco.

• 2) What are the opening hours of the Inca Museum in Cusco?

  Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• 3) How much does the entrance to the Inca museum in Cusco cost?

  Entrance to the Inca Museum in Cusco costs 20 soles for foreign adults and 10 soles for Peruvian tourists.

• 4) How to get to the Inca museum in Cusco?

  From the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, you can reach the Inca museum by taking Cuesta del Almirante street on the left side of the Cathedral. The walk is only 2 minutes on average.

• 5) How many rooms are there in the Inca museum in Cusco?

  The Inca Museum of Cusco has seven main rooms: Room of Pre-Inca Cultures, Room of Pre-Inca Human Settlements, Room of the Environment, Room of Inca Origins, Room of Inca Continuity, Room of the Spanish Invasion, Room of Mallki Wasi or Inca Tombs.

• 6) What structure is there in the Inca museum in Cusco?

  The Inca Museum of Cusco is built in an old colonial house called ‘the House of the Admiral’ which was also the ancient palace of the Inca Huáscar.

• 7) What ceramics can be seen in the Inca museum in Cusco?

  In the Inca Museum of Cusco you can see ceramics belonging to Inca and pre-Inca cultures, such as: the Chavín (1,200 – 400 BC), the Marcavalle (1,000 – 700 BC), the Nazca (100 – 800 AD), Wari (600 – 1,200 AD), up to the Inca period (1230 – 1535 AD).

• 8) Is there a royal tomb in the Inca museum in Cusco?

  Yes, the Inca museum has a room called ‘mallka wai’, a life-size representation of an Inca tomb.

• 9) Why visit the Inca museum in Cusco?

  It is recommended to visit the Inca museum as it is considered the best museum in the city of Cusco and one of the best in Peru for its collection of Inca and pre-Inca ceramics and stone tools.

• 10) Does the Inca Museum in Cusco offer discounts?

  Yes, the Inca Museum in Cusco offers discounts for foreign and Peruvian students.

Advice from people who have been there

Inka Museum

By: Gabriela M.

“Spectacular!“

“I loved it, you can see the whole evolution of the Incas. Their ancestors, their means of survival, their clothes and their creations. I could see that the current Incas still retain traits of their ancestors.“

By Ticket Machu Picchu – Last updated, December 27, 2024