Tucume Museum, in the Department of Lambayeque on Peru's northern coast, was recognized by the British Travel Writers Guild (BTWG), as one of 2015's Best World Tourism Projects at the World Travel Mart in London.
One of Tucume Museum’s remodelled galleries.
The museum re-opened in late 2014 after a remodelling that required an investment of some £2.4 million ($3.5 million). It included a new distribution of its exhibits, which cover the discoveries made so far at excavations of the huge Tucume site, which boasts 26 pyramids and spans the Lambayeque (also known as Sican) culture from 1000 AD, through to the Chimu in the 15th century, and the Incas in the 16th century.
Investment in the museum came from the national Copesco plan, which aims to develop tourism along the 'Moche Route' of pre-Inca civilisations in northern Peru.
Hilary Bradt, a British travel writer, member of the BTWG, and one-time contributor to the now-defunct Lima Times, visited the Museum in June 2015 and wrote:
“Most projects nominated for these awards are highly publicised with swanky websites. The Tucume Museum is different. It’s at the opposite end of Peru from the tourist-saturated Cusco and Machu Picchu, and very few foreign tourists come here. I want to put this right since this whole area is peppered with simply wonderful pre-Inca sites and museums.”
The award for the Tucume Museum was received at London’s Savoy Hotel by Elizabeth Hakim, head of PromPeru’s department for the English-speaking market, during the World Travel Market in November.
The other winners in the the same category were The Birthplace of Country Music in Bristol, Virginia and Le Mémorial Acte, (The Caribbean Center For The Expression And Memory Of The Slave Trade And Slavery), Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe.
How to visit Tucume Museum with PeruNorth:
Tucume Archaeological Comlex - and its award-winning museum - is a must-see if staying or passing through Chiclayo. Therefore, a visit here is included in a number of itineraries: