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The
Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán (Museum of the Royal Tombs of
Sipán), located in Lambayeque, is one of the best museums in
Peru. Constructed in the shape of a Moche Pyramid, this modern
museum was built to showcase the treasures unearthed from the
Royal Tombs of Sipán, particularly the Lord of Sipán,
Unlike most of the archeological sites along the coast of Peru,
which were pilfered by grave robbers, the tomb of Lord Sipán
remained undisturbed until it was discovered in 1987. The
discovery was made by Dr. Walter Alva, who is now the director
of the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán. The tomb contained a wealth
of treasures, meant to accompany the Lord of Sipán on his
journey to the after life. The museum has three main
sections. One floor is devoted to Moche artifacts, primarily
ceramics. Below this is the floor which contains the stunning
gold and silver treasures recovered from the tomb. On the lowest
level is a reproduction of the tomb as it was when it was
discovered. There is also an audio visual presentation on El
Señor de Sipán.
The Museum of the Royal Tombs of Sipán is shaped like a Moche
pyramid, containing the gold masks, scepters, jewelry, and other
objects of the royal Moche tomb discovered by Walter Alva in
1987. This museum succeeds in evoking the full grandeur and
sophistication of the ancient Moche civilization (100–750 A.D.)
in a way that adobe pyramids, now reduced to mud mountains,
often do not.
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