Machu Picchu Museum at Casa Concha

The Machu Picchu Museum at Casa Concha was built on the palace of the Inca Túpac Yupanqui. It displays hundreds of artifacts extracted by the American explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911. These objects were returned to Peru in 2011. Today, this small but fascinating museum is one of the best options before your trip to Machu Picchu.

What is Casa Concha?

• Casa Concha is a beautiful example of Andean residential architecture during the early years of the Spanish conquest.
• The mansion was built on the foundations of the palace of the Inca Túpac Yupanqui (son and successor of the famous Inca Pachacutec, the builder of Machu Picchu).
• It has a total area of ​​2,373 m2. Its first owner is identified as José Santiago Concha y Salvatierra, an important Creole magistrate during the viceroyalty.
• Its current configuration and characteristics date back to the colonial period (18th century) and it is considered a national heritage of Peru.
• Its construction began in 1710. It has murals, baroque-style balconies, wood carvings, small squares, pools, and a series of rooms (up to 16) open to the public.

Where is the Casa Concha museum?

The museum is located at Calle Santa Catalina Ancha 320, very close to the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, Peru.

What is the permanent exhibition like at the Casa Concha museum?

Among the more than 360 pieces there are ceramic objects, lithics, tumis (knives), ribbons, tweezers, mirrors, aryballs and construction tools.

The permanent exhibition is divided into 3 collections: a) Hiram Bingham collection, b) UNSAAC collection and c) Casa Concha collection.

Hiram Bingham Collection

The Hiram Bingham collection features several coloured photos of the expedition made by the American explorer Hiram Bingham to Machu Picchu (1911).

The exhibition also includes educational models of the excavation process at Machu Picchu as well as interactive videos.

However, the most important part of the Hiram Bingham collection are the numerous ceramic, stone and metal objects such as the famous knife or ‘tumi’.

The exhibition also includes bone remains (a male between 23 and 25 years old).

UNSAAC Collection

The collection provided by the National University of San Antonio Abad del Cusco (UNSAAC) includes objects found in the Casa Concha, the former palace of the Inca Túpac Yupanqui.

Some rooms on the upper floors are also equipped for research by students and people interested in Machu Picchu.

Casa Concha Collection

The Casa Concha collection is an exhibition of the architecture and treasures inside the famous mansion where the museum is located.

The exhibition includes a collection of paintings from the colonial era as well as sculptures and pieces characteristic of the viceroyalty.

The objects found in Machu Picchu

• It took Yale University in the United States around 100 years to return the objects extracted from Machu Picchu during the excavations.
• The returned Inca objects are: ceramics, stone pieces, metal pieces, decorative objects and bone remains.
• In total, 366 good quality Inca objects were returned and are already on display. There are also other pieces that serve for research into the lifestyle of the Incas of Machu Picchu.
• Today, most of the objects can be seen in the Casa Concha Museum.
• The mysteries of Machu Picchu
• The Casa Concha Museum offers an excellent view of life in the Inca city of Machu Picchu. However, there are still many questions to be answered.
• After investigations, it was concluded that Machu Picchu was built and occupied between 1450 and 1540, before being mysteriously abandoned.
• Some objects found in Machu Picchu have the characteristics of distant regions of northern Peru. This would show that the Inca City had a more important role than simply being the rest house of the Inca ruler.
• The skeletons found in Machu Picchu do not reveal signs of hard work or violence, so life there must have been quiet. In addition, there were people dedicated to basic activities such as cooking, cleaning and weaving. The elite dedicated themselves to religious worship.

Visiting hours

The Machu Picchu Museum of the Casa Concha is open from Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Casa Concha Museum is closed on Sundays.

Rates

The entrance ticket to the Casa Concha Museum is purchased directly at the door of the mansion.

These are the prices:

More information about museums in Cusco

The museum opened its doors on November 10, 2011. After a year, it had already reached 70,000 visitors.

It took 5 ships and 2 planes to repatriate the collection of objects from the United States to Peru. The transfer cost around 1 million dollars.

A portion of the objects returned to Peru by Yale University are housed in the Machu Picchu Site Museum ‘Manuel Chávez Ballón’.

Some of the museums you can also visit in Cusco are: the Inca Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the Coricancha Museum, the Cathedral Museum and much more.

Best Trekking and Tours in Peru

Many are the routes that take you to Machu Picchu, but none is like the Inca Trail tours, the most famous pedestrian path in the Americas. After flying from the capital of Peru, Lima, you will arrive in Cusco to walk for four days along a path through forests and dense fog, millenary stone steps and discovering the ruins of ancient fortifications and Inca cities, and all the time enjoying majestic views.

• Sacred Valley Bike Tour
• Honeymoon in Machu Picchu
• 1 Day Inca Trail Hike to Machu Picchu
• Sacred Valley Tours
• Lares Trek to Machu Picchu 4 Days
• Huchuy Qosqo Trek to Machu Picchu
• Short 2 Day Inca Trail Hike to Machu Picchu
• 2 Day Inca Trail with Camping
• Apu Ausangate Trek 7 days
• 4 Day Jungle Trek to Machu Picchu
• Inca Quarry Trail to Machu Picchu
• Urubamba River Rafting
• 5 Days Salkantay Mountain Trek
• 3 Days Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
• Huchuy Qosqo Trek to Machu Picchu
• 7 Lakes Ausangate Trek

If you want to visit Machu Picchu, we recommend you to book your Machu Picchu ticket in advance, so you will enjoy your vacation in Machu Picchu without any problem.