Advance tickets available for Boca Raton Museum’s Machu Picchu exhibition
14K gold alloy frontal adornment from an Andean headdress, dating between year 1 and year 800. Photo courtesy of World Heritage Exhibitions
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Boca Raton Museum of Art will host Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru, an exhibit that combines a display of 192 ancient Peruvian artifacts with a spectacular virtual-reality expedition of the famed UNESCO World Heritage Site via drone footage and virtual reality (VR) technology. Advance tickets are now available to purchase for the show, which opens on October 16 and continues for what’s described as a limited run ahead of a planned worldwide tour.
The exhibition will encompass the entire museum, including all galleries on both floors. The objects on show represent the most opulent collection of Andean gold to ever travel the globe. The experience will also showcase the first-ever virtual reality expedition of Machu Picchu, with footage recorded in 2020 during the unprecedented closure of the site because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time in recent history that the majestic City in the Sky was completely empty of tourists, allowing for ideal circumstances for filming it with state of the art drone-VR technology.
Copper funerary mask depicting Ai Apaec, the mythical Andean hero who guides visitors through the exhibit. It dates to between year 1 and year 800. Photo courtesy of World Heritage Exhibitions
Guided throughout the exhibition by Ai Apaec, a mythical Andean hero, visitors will learn of the forces of nature that result in his death and subsequent rebirth. Throughout this dramatically staged expedition, the sounds of roaring jaguars, screaming macaws, and torrential rainfall surround visitors as they unravel the mysteries of Andean cosmology and marvel at the sophistication of Andean artists.
Aerial view of Machu Picchu, a legendary UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Peru. Photo courtesy of World Heritage Exhibitions
Cityneon is presenting the exhibition with support from the Government of Peru, the Peruvian Ministry of Culture, and in partnership with Inkaterra Asociacion. Many of the stunning artifacts are from royal tombs, including objects that belonged to noble Andean lords, and have never been seen before outside of Peru. The collection is on loan from Museo Larco in Lima, Peru, and Museo de Sitio Manuel Chavez Ballon in Aguas Calientes, Peru.
Detail show of gold decoration from Huaca de La Luna (the Temple of the Moon). Photo courtesy of World Heritage Exhibitions
“It is an honor to be chosen as the first museum destination that launches the global tour of Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru, and to partner with such esteemed cultural institutions to bring this exhibition to the United States,” said Irvin Lippman, Executive Director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art. “We look forward to introducing South Florida and the world to the wonders of Machu Picchu and the power and beauty of the Inca civilization for what promises to be a memorable exhibition.”
Follow #BocaStrikesGold on social media for ongoing announcements about special events.
Visit the website of the Boca Raton Museum of Art and see its dedicated page for Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru.
