Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The museum building, which rests on Inca foundations, is also known as the Admiral's
House, after the first owner, Admiral Francisco Aldrete Maldonado. It was badly damaged
in the 1650 earthquake and rebuilt by Pedro Peralta de los Ríos, the count of Laguna,
whose crest is above the porch. Further damage from the 1950 earthquake has now been
fully repaired, restoring the building to its position among Cuzco's finest colonial houses.
Look for the massive stairway guarded by sculptures of mythical creatures, and the corner
window column that from the inside looks like a statue of a bearded man but from the out-
side appears to be a naked woman. The ceilings are ornate, and the windows give good
views straight out across the Plaza de Armas.
Downstairs in the sunny courtyard, highland Andean weavers demonstrate their craft
and sell traditional textiles directly to the public.
Museo de Historia Natural
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( Plaza de Armas; admission S2; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri) The university-run natural his-
tory museum houses a somewhat motley collection of stuffed local animals and birds and
over 150 snakes from the Amazon. The entrance is hidden off the Plaza de Armas, to the
right of Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús.
MUSEUM
Iglesia y Monasterio de Santa Catalina
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( Arequipa s/n; admission S8; 8:30am-5:30pm Mon-Sat) This convent houses many
colonial paintings of the escuela cuzqueña, as well as an impressive collection of vest-
ments and other intricate embroidery. The baroque side chapel features dramatic friezes,
and many life-sized (and sometimes startling) models of nuns praying, sewing and going
about their lives. The convent also houses 13 real, live contemplative nuns.
CHURCH
Museo Irq'i Yachay
( 24-1416; www.aylluyupaychay.org ; Teatro 344; 10am-1pm & 2-5pm
Mon-Fri) More an art-and-craft exhibition than a museum, Museo Irq'i Yachay is the fas-
cinating by-product of an NGO that seeks to give opportunities for cognitive development
to kids in remote communities. Since the most isolated and neglected communities are
also guardians of traditional culture, the result is an engrossing glimpse of Andean culture.
The kids paint what they know - animals, mountains, rivers, people - and incorporate
the symbols of the weavings that surround them from birth: north is hope and future, red
is love and revenge. Along with the art itself, there's an impressive display of textiles. Ac-
MUSEUM
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