National Museum of Peru

National Museum of Peru (MUNA)
Museo Nacional del Perú (MUNA)
Main façade of the museum.
Map
LocationLurín District, Lima, Peru
TypeNational museum
Collection size500,000
OwnerGovernment of Peru
Websitemuna.cultura.pe

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Fisheries headquarters from 1970 – and the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History of Peru, which was outdated and did not have proper equipment to maintain the temperature and lighting of displays.[7] The process for safely transferring the items from other sites to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]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Museo Nacional de Arqueología del Perú se culminará a mediados del 2019 | LIMA". El Comercio (in Spanish). 2018-12-28. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  2. ^ a b "Presentan proyecto ganador de concurso de ideas para futuro Museo Nacional". Andina (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  3. ^ "Presidente Vizcarra anuncia compromiso del gobierno de entregar nuevo Museo Nacional del Perú". www.gob.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  4. ^ a b c d e Angeleti, Gabriella (13 September 2021). "Peru's heritage gets a new $125m home". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Diana Álvarez Calderón: entre ruinas y cultura viva | LUCES". El Comercio (in Spanish). 22 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Abrirán convocatoria para diseñar el Museo Nacional del Perú»". El Comercio. 29 May 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Museo Nacional del Perú ya cuenta con diseño arquitectónico". La Republica. 24 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-12-14.
  8. ^ "MUNA, un museo emblema para celebrar el bicentenario | FOTOS | LUCES". El Comercio (in Spanish). 2019-09-18. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  9. ^ "Lurín: construcción del Museo Nacional del Perú registra un 22% de avance | LIMA". El Comercio (in Spanish). 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  10. ^ "Lurín: Museo Nacional del Perú será inaugurado en julio del 2021 | nnpp | LIMA". Peru21 (in Spanish). 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2020-11-24.

12°15′15″S 76°54′38″W / 12.254254072811106°S 76.910619590551°W / -12.254254072811106; -76.910619590551