Founded in 1926, the Larco Museum showcases remarkable chronological galleries providing an excellent overview on 3000 years of development of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. Located in a unique vice-royal mansion of the 18th century built over a 7th century Pre-Columbian pyramid and surrounded by beautiful gardens. The museum features the finest gold and silver collection from Ancient Peru and the famous erotic archaeological collection, one of the most visited Peruvian tourist attractions. For an unforgettable experience, Larco is one of the few museums in the world where visitors can also choose to enter the storage area with its 45.000 classified archaeological objects. Its masterpieces are considered worldwide icons of Pre-Columbian art, after being exhibited in the world's leading museums.

This didactic exhibition was carefully planned to provide the visitor a comprehensive idea about ceramic work in pre-Columbian times. Tools, clay, kaolin, colours used to paint vases, bone tools used by sculptors and potters, molds, unbaked ceramics found in graves and ceramics with baking failure are displayed in this room.

The objective of this great Culture Hall is that visitors get a comprehensive idea of the conglomerate of cultures that existed in pre-Columbian Peru. The didactic visit goes from 7000 years B.C. until the absolute decadence of indigenous art resulting from the Spanish conquest in the XVI century. This hall is divided into four areas: North Coast, Centre, South and cultures from the highlands. Showcases have been ordered according to a cultural sequence, and display representative objects from the most important cultures.

This hall displays the selection of archaeological objects made by Rafael Larco Hoyle in the 1960s, as a result of his research on sexual representations in Peruvian Pre-Columbian art, published in his book Checan (1966). Renovated in November 2002, this exhibition of erotic ceramics is being displayed with comments and new perspectives resulting from advanced research about these sexual representations, which belong to a greater representation system.

The richness from the Americas, represented in objects and raw materials, belong to the fables of our historical memory. In the Andean world, the beauty and durability of metals gave objects an almost divine value. These objects allowed the Incas to poetically define their religion, their cosmological world and even their own genealogy. More than economical assets, they were beautiful objects, transformed from metal into beautiful adornments and artifacts to be offered to their gods. These objects were worn by the representatives of these gods or like the paraphernalia the ruler took to his afterlife.

Lithic work began in the pre-ceramic epoch (8,000 - 2,000 B.C.) with the manufacture of simple implements of daily use (knives, scrapers, lance points, etc.) which expressed their desire for searching new forms and better techniques.
In spite of raw material toughness, artists became masters in their work. Later, religious beliefs were expressed through lithic pieces, as their first deities. During the Evolutive epoch lithic sculpture got great importance throughout the ancient Peruvian territory, achieving its highest development during the Florescent epoch.

Among the most outstanding pieces and based on their sculptural quality and value, we can point out: The monolithic nails (large zoomorphic and anthropomorphic sculpture found in temples and fortress); lithic pieces in miniature, which were generally used as funerary offerings; large sculpture as expressions of their religious beliefs, and beautiful mortars and architectonic maquettes.

In Ancient Peru, metallurgy and gold and silver work as well as ceramics were activities that were highly developed. In the Peruvian richness is based not only in minerals provided by nature as a challenge and a means to express their art and their advanced technology. As outstanding cultures in this field we can mention the Mochica, Lambayeque, Chimú, and Inca Cultures, who achieved very high levels in their elaboration and decoration techniques. Different metal selection and use indicated not only their ceremonial, religious, and warlike nature, but also the status and power of the individuals who wore them.

Museums all over the world usually exhibit only 20% of their entire collection. Museo Larco is one of the few museums in the world that allows its visitors to go into its classified storage area. The opportunity to see 45,000 objects duly arranged, catalogued and classified by culture and theme becomes an extraordinary and unforgettable experience.

The textile activity was one of the first developed in the ancient Peru. The first textile remains such as: nets, ropes, bags, etc, appeared during the Pre-Ceramic epoch (8,000 - 2,000 B.C.) these remains were manufactured with vegetable fibers, which were simply twisted or rolled up. Later, the use of animal fibers (wool of camelidae) and cotton, as well as the use of dyes, the discovery of the loom (approx. 1,000 B.C.) and other implements allowed the gradual development and the textile evolution which were promoted by the changes in the way of living and the economic activities.

These pieces range from the beginning of metalwork until the extraordinary fine jewellery in ancient Peru. Gold and silver were not the only metals used; they were combined with semi-precious stones like lapis lazuli, turquoise, quartz and amethyst. Earplugs, nose ornaments, pectorals, headdress ornaments, ceremonial vases, masks, containers and miniature objects show the technique and artistic skill of the metal smiths that made them.