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| The Lord Of Sipan Museum |
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| The Lord Of Sipan Museum |
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The Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán (Museum of the Royal Tombs of Sipán), located in Lambayeque Peru, is one of the finest museums in Peru. This three-story, six-million-dollar museum contains
the greatest intact discovery of gold artifacts in all of the Americas. Built 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 vast wealth of treasures, meant to accompany the Lord of Sipán on his journey to the after life.
The Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum is considered as one of the biggest museums in Latin America dedicated to a single archeological discovery. The museum is also a mausoleum since; the lord’s remains, as well as those of two other excavated figures – an ancestor of the lord and a high priest – are protected in a wooden coffin as the final exhibit. Their skeletons, surrounded by various ceramics found in their tombs, are softly lit and visible to the public. Dr. Walter Alva and his colleagues built the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán, which opened in 2002 in Lambayeque, Peru; 485 miles north of Lima. The Lord of Sipán, is a royal warrior and priest who died around A.D. 300. The tombs of 13 individuals were excavated at Sipán. “This discovery revolutionized Moche studies the way that the discovery of King Tut changed Egyptian studies”, Alva says, “We understood suddenly that the people we’d seen in drawings – and their ceremonies, their rituals – were real”.
The Tomb Of Sipan is close to the Town of Sipan, 35 kilometres from Chiclayo, in the Archaeological Compound of Huaca Rajada. The Archaeological Site has two truncated pyramids, buildings wherein the Tomb of the Lord of Sipan, the Tomb of the Priest, and that of the Old Lord of Sipan, were found together. The ancient ruler of the Valleys of the North must have exercised his dominion in the year 250 D.C. approximately, and his authority extended to the military, religious and civil ambits. The builders of the Citadel of the Lord of Sipan were the Mochicas, who established themselves in the Region of La Libertad, to later extend towards the Valleys of Lambayeque, Chicama, Moche, Virú, Santa and Nepeña, over an area of 6500 square kilometres. It is thought that the Compound contained nearly 15 thousand inhabitants, including professionals such as potters, goldsmiths, and weavers. Death did not mean the end for the Mochicas. In their belief, they would continue living in another spiritual plane with their same obligations or privileges as in this world. Thus, their rulers were buried with provisions and goods to use in the afterlife. The discovery of this tomb allows us to know more about these burial rituals. The Lord of Sipan died at an age of about 40 years and other than arthritis, he was in good health. His height was of 5 foot 6 inchest, which was considered to be tall during his time, and his bodily structure shows that he did little physical labor.
The Old Lord of Sipan, buried in the first construction stage of the funerary platform, must have been the most ancient ruler of the Valley. We were at the The Lord Of Sipan Museum the afternoon of April 26, 2006 at about 2:30 PM. Photography inside the museum is not permitted. There is a link at the bottom of this page to see images of the gold treasures inside the museum.
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