Museum of the Royal Tombs of Sipan

About

The origin of the Museum of the Royal Tombs of Sipan is one of the few happy endings in a land where most sites have been looted and despoiled. When grave robbers uncovered an untouched tomb in the unassuming Huaca Rajada archaeological site, the treasures within set them to arguing so loudly that the police were called! Along with the cops, Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva stepped in, whose careful excavations unearthed one of the richest archaeological finds in the New World. Gathering government and international support, the museum was built to house the wonders unearthed at Sipan. The museum itself is shaped in the elongated pyramid shape of a Mochica sanctuary. The displays are state of the art, the subject matter fascinating. The epicentre of this story is the Lord of Sipan - buried with his three wives, two bodyguards, an adolescent child, two extinct llamas, his dog, a footless warrior, and a mountain of gold and precious ornaments.