Gold and silver, allowed in the centuries
Published by Asya in Cultural, History, Museums, Peru, South America, Urban Tourism, Walking
contains an enormous collection of 10,000 gold, silver and copper pieces, some of which are excellent. The museum was briefly closed in 2001, with the suspicion that many of the pieces on display are fakes. However, the museum is still well worth visiting. In addition to the precious metals, the museum has a fine collection of textiles, stone carvings and ceramics, including a large collection of erotic ceramics. However, the overall collection is poorly displayed and has appalling labelling. This private collection contains a staggering display of pre-Hispanic gold, Paracas textiles, and ceramics; some replicas be found within exhibits. There’s also an excellent bookshop, and large display of military objects connected with important people from world history.
Peru’s Gold Museum also houses a valuable collection of old and modern weapons that ranks among the best in the world. The halls in this section show the Arms of the World Collection of armour, uniforms and various ancient war artifacts and weapons from various time periods around the world, some dating back to as long ago as 1300 B.C.The Gold of Peru and Arms of the World Museums were founded by Miguel Mujica Gallo in 1968. Between both museums, 25,000 objects are on exhibition.
The museum’s founder and, until 1993, owner of the largest number of gold objects in the country, Miguel Mufica Gallo, died a few days before the cultural commission took up the case. Described by the magazine Carelas as “a hunter of tigers and elephants, and the biggest collector of pre-Columbian gold and arms in Peru”, Miguel Mujica Gallo, who was born in 1910, was ambassador in Austria and Spain and for a short time was minister of foreign affairs in the first government of Fernando Belaunde.
The origins of Shwedagon are lost in antiquity, its age unknown. Long before the pagoda was built, its location on Singuttara hill was already an ancient sacred site because of the buried relics of the three previous Buddhas. According to one legend, nearly 5000 years had passed since the last Buddha walked the Earth, and Singuttara hill would soon lose its blessedness unless it was reconsecrated with relics of a new Buddha. In order that such new relics might be obtained, King Okkalapa of Suvannabhumi spent much time atop the hill, meditating and praying. A series of miracles ensued and eight hairs of the historical Buddha were, somewhat magically, brought to the hill. To enshrine the relics, multiple pagodas of silver, tin, copper, lead, marble, iron and gold where built one on top of the other to a height of twenty meters. During the following centuries, passing from myth to historical fact, the pagoda grew to its present height of ninety-eight meters. Much of the continued construction of Shwedagon was actually reconstruction following disastrous earthquakes. During the 17th century the pagoda suffered earthquake damage on at least eight occasions. A particularly bad quake in 1786 brought the entire top half of the pagoda to the ground and its current shape and height date from the reconstruction of that time.
e first floor was used as a reception room for guests and as boarding site for pleasure boating around the small pond. The second story was for more private parties with an outstanding view of the garden. The third floor was an intimate space for meeting with confidantes and holding tea ceremony. Originally, only the ceiling of the pavilion’s third floor was gilt, but in 1950, a student monk burned the pavilion to the ground. When an exact replica was reconstructed in its place, it was decided to cover the exterior in its namesake gold.
