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, El Señor de 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. This museum, a dark red pyramid, rises out of the dry, flat streetscape. Visitors climb an exterior stairway and enter the building at the top. Descending through the galleries, they encounter objects in the same sequence as the archeologists did - hammered-gold sheets that cradled the lord’s head and rested on his eyes, nose, mouth and chin: bracelets strung with hundreds of turquoise, shell, and gold beads; a gold-and-silver scepter depieting a warrior and his nude prisoner; gold-and silver backflaps (sheets the Moche suspended from the back of their belts) inlaid with shell and semiprecious stones, depicting a figure with a large, ganged mouth holding a human head by the hair and a tumi, a sacrificial knife. Each object or jewel displays artistry and craftsmanship that astounds and delights at every turn. NOTE: Photography is not permitted in the museum. We have placed on this page some images which we were able to obtain from a vendor while in Lambayeque of some of the objects and displays in the museum. NONE OF THESE IMAGES ARE OURS OR ARE AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE OR TO USE. We hope that after viewing these images, you will go to the Lord Of Sipán Museum and see these for yourselves and enjoy them as much as we were able to do.

The treasures of Sipan tombs are in the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum in Lambayeque. The first choice of where to go in order to visit The Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum in Lambayeque is to fly in to Chiclayo. Chiclayo, is the capital city of the Lambayeque region in northern Peru. It is located 13 kilometers inland from the Pacific coast and 770 kilometers from the nation's capital, Lima. Chiclayo is one of the most important urban areas of Peru. It has grown to become the country's fourth largest city after Lima, Arequipa, and Trujillo. Chiclayo is very commercialized and has many modern characteristics. It is known as one of the friendliest cities in Peru. Because of this attribute, Chiclayo is known as, "The Capital of Friendship and the Pearl of the North." The Capitán FAP José A. Quiñones Gonzales International Airport (IATA: CIX, ICAO: SPHI) is the airport serving Chiclayo, Peru and the surrounding metropolitan area. It is run by CORPAC S.A. (Corporación Peruana de Aeropuertos y Aviación Comercial S.A.), a government-run organization that oversees the management of Peruvian airports. It is the main airport of the Lambayeque Region, one of the most populous of the country. The second choice is Trujillo. Trujillo is a moderately large city in Northwestern Peru, very close to the Pacific Coast. Trujillo is known for its seafood and the beaches of its famous surf and beach resort Huanchaco. The Capitán FAP Carlos Martínez de Pinillos International Airport (IATA: TRU, ICAO: SPRU); known as Aeropuerto Internacional Capitán FAP Carlos Martínez de Pinillos in Spanish, is the airport serving Peru's third most important city, Trujillo. It is the main air hub in northern Peru. There are several Guided Tour Agencies offering standard city, and archaeological tours of Trujillo or Chiclayo and the surrounding area. This page is for information purposes only and while we have made every effort to be accurate, it is the travelers responsibility to make the appropriate choice as to which hotels to use in Peru. We suggest contacting Magical Cusco Tours and allowing them to arrange tours of the area for you. We do this all the time. It is safe and it works!!! We have never experienced a problem doing it this way! We have links to Magical Cusco Tours on our page so that they can arrange your tours of the Royal Tombs of Sipan Gold Museum in Lambayeque and the surrounding areas. Mention delange.org to Magical Cusco Tours and they will give you a 4% discount on your Peru tours. We also have links to Priceline.Com on our pages, in case you may prefer to use their services.