Amano Textile Museum

Yoshitaro Amano, a Japanese businessman who settled in Peru, built a textile collection from the 1950s and opened it as a museum in his Miraflores house in 1964. It is small and specialised, and it is the best place in Lima to understand Andean weaving as technique: Chancay gauzes and openwork so fine they look like lace, Paracas embroidery, Nazca, Wari tapestry with thread counts that exceed contemporary European work, Chimú and Inca pieces, displayed with attention to how they were made rather than only what they depict. Textiles were the highest-status medium in the Andes, valued above gold, and this collection makes that case better than the larger museums do. It was renovated in the 2010s with improved lighting and conservation. Visits are sometimes guided and the museum keeps limited hours, so checking before going matters.

What you actually see

• The Chancay work - gauzes and openwork of extraordinary fineness.
• The technique focus - displays explaining how the weaves were constructed.
• The range - Paracas, Nazca, Wari, Chimú and Inca textiles.
• The collector - Yoshitaro Amano's holdings, open in his house since 1964.

When to go

Year-round. One hour. Hours are limited and visits may be guided at set times - check before travelling.

Honest expectations

Small and specialised; visitors who are not interested in textiles will find it slight. Lighting is deliberately low for conservation. Photography is restricted. Opening times are narrower than most Lima museums.

Nearby

Huaca Pucllana is in Miraflores; the coastal malecón is a short walk west.