Museo Nacional Sicán

December 28, 2007

The museum gets a special mention, not only because like all museums in northern Peru it shames the rest of the country, but also it allowed you to take photos of the artefacts unlike the Sipán museum, also unbelievably excellent.

The Sicán of course, are the pyramid builders who left us Batán Grande and Túcume. This museum exists to display the most important finds of the tonnes uncovered.

Interesting items include:

• Detailed models of their pyramids, showing how they were constructed with junk material and shells to fill out hollow parts.
• How each brick was made by a different family as tribute. Each contained a special mark to identify that family, like a pictorial surname.
• Model of the Huaca Loro, now a wreck due to grave robbers.
• Recreations of the tombs. Women buried in birthing and midwifing positions, ruler in upside-down foetal position. Death equalling re-birth.
• Recreation of art found. I really like Moche and Moche descendent art.
• Facial reconstruction of elite burial ruler.
• Tonnes of gold artefacts.

View the museum’s website here, and to take a tour, view the video or see a 3D panorama of Pomac/Batán Grande ruins, use the links on the left.

Photos –