Museo Larco

The charming neighborhood of Pueblo Libre is just south of central Lima [1] and has a relaxed, small-town vibe. Its best-known sight is the Museo Larco (Bolívar 1515, tel. 01/461-1312, www.museolarco.org [2], 9 a.m.–6 p.m. daily, US$11), which rivals the Museo de Oro [3] in terms of gold pieces and has far more ceramics and textiles.

Founded in 1926 in an 18th-century mansion built atop a pre-Hispanic ruin, this museum has more than 40,000 ceramics and 5,000 pieces of gold and textiles. There are huge Mochica earrings and funerary masks, a Paracas textile with a world-record 398 threads per inch, and a jewelry vault filled with gold and silver objects. A back storage room holds thousands of pre-Hispanic ceramic vessels, including a Moche erotic collection that will cause even the most liberated to blush.

There is an excellent on-site restaurant, and it is easy to reach by bus from Miraflores. Catch a bus at Arequipa Avenue that says Todo Bolívar and get off at the 15th block.