American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

Royal Tombs of Sipán (Exhibition); Las Tumbas Reales de Sipán : Tesoros Peruanos de una Civilización Desaparecida; Royal Tombs of Sipan: Peruvian Treasures of a Lost Civilization
birth: 1994 June 24
death: 1995 January
Exhibition. Opened June 24, 1994 and closed January 1, 1995. Located in Section 3, Floor 3 in Gallery 3 at the American Museum of Natural History. Royal Tombs of Sipán featured artifacts from the excavation of three tombs in present-day Peru of the pre-Columbian Moche society nobles.
Summary
Royal Tombs of Sipán featured artifacts from the excavation of three tombs in present-day Peru of the pre-Columbian Moche society nobles. It was organized by the Brüning National Archaeological Museum in Lambayeque, Peru and the Fowler Museum in Los Angeles, curated by Walter Alva and Christopher B. Donnan and coordinated for the Museum by Craig Morris of the Department of Anthropology in cooperation with the National Institute of Culture in Peru and support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ahmanson Foundation. The exhibition’s presentation at the American Museum of Natural History was supported by ASARCO Incorporated/Southern Perú Copper Corporation, Aero-perú/FOPTOR, Banco del Credito del Perú, el diario/LA PRENSA, CS First Boston, Bearns, Stearns & Co. The contents of the tombs were excavated by Walter Alva of the Brüning National Archaeological Museum in 1987 (1; 2; 3; 4). The Museum’s Department of Education presented related lectures and performances (5).
Exhibition highlights (1):
*A recreation of the tomb of the warrior-priest, the “Lord of Sipán”
*Large hammered-gold headdress found under the body of the Lord of Sipán and a gold and silver scepter found in his right hand
*A life-size mannequin of the Lord of Sipán dressed in replicas of ceremonial regalia
*Sections on the daily life, art, and ceremonies of the Moche
*English and Spanish audio tours
*Cut-away murals showing how objects were placed in burials
*Backlit images illustrating the look of restored artifacts prior to restoration
A model of the tomb of the Lord of Sipán is on view in the Museum’s Hall of South American Peoples as of 2018 as is another model in the Museo Tumbas Reales del Señor de Sipán in Lambayeque, Peru (6; 7).
This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.