Museo de Sitio Qorikancha — Attraction in Distrito de Cusco

Absolutely terrible experience at the entrance of this museum. On July 16 2025 we bought two general admission tickets for foreigners for 10 days, costing 260 soles. We gave the woman 300 soles in cash. She asked if we had 10 soles to make change easier - we didn’t. She handed us the tickets, asked us to fill in our names, and directed us to the entrance.

As soon as we stepped in (not even 30 seconds later), we realized she never gave us the 40 soles in change.

We immediately returned, and she insisted she gave 50 soles to us - even though we had no 50s, 20s, or any bills in our pockets or bag. We asked to check the cameras, and she suddenly claimed maybe other tourists stole the money from the counter (complete nonsense - we were the only ones there!).

When we asked to speak with someone in charge or call the police, we were told to go to "administration." There, a woman told us the cameras don’t work and she’s only responsible for cleaning.

When we came back to the ticket desk, the story changed - now she said it was 40 soles, not 50. Then, like magic, she claimed she "found" the money under a registry book on the counter - where she clearly placed it after we left. It was so obvious she only returned it because we didn’t give up.

This was a blatant scam, and extremely disappointing. We expected honesty and professionalism especially in a cultural institution but got something else entirely.

Beware. Always count your change immediately and don’t walk away...

We booked a tour with a local guide from Cusco, who was fantastic—he shared a wealth of insight about the Museo de Sitio Qorikancha, Peru’s Inca legacy, and the deep history of Cusco. We spent about an hour touring the museum, which sits on the site of Qorikancha, the most important temple in the Inca Empire.

Qorikancha, meaning “Golden Enclosure” in Quechua, was once the spiritual center of the Inca world. It was dedicated primarily to Inti, the Sun God, and its walls were reportedly covered in sheets of gold, with life-size gold and silver statues of plants and animals adorning the sacred gardens. The temple also held shrines to other important deities such as the Moon, Stars, Thunder, and the Rainbow.

Following the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, the temple was looted and largely demolished. On its massive Inca foundations, the Spaniards built the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo, which still stands today. The contrast between the Inca’s precisely fitted stonework and the colonial Spanish construction above it is striking—it’s a powerful symbol of cultural imposition and resilience.

Walking through the museum, it was both fascinating and saddening to see how much of the original Inca temple was destroyed or repurposed during colonization. The site serves as a testament to the brilliance of Inca engineering and the complex, often painful history...

This museum is highly rated because many reviewers mistake it for the actual Qorikancha temple - it is NOT. This is a separate museum next to the Qorikancha site, and more or less completely unrelated. Entry is part of the Bileto Turistico. We spent 20 minutes here, viewing every exhibit and reading most info boards. There's very little here, and what there is is poorly displayed.

There are about four small rooms cramped with ugly display cases, filled with ceramics, metal objects, and other artefacts. Information boards on the wall are hideous and while there are English translations (examples pictured), they are terrible. After the inside spaces you have a maximum of five minutes to take pictures on the outside grass lawn. Trust me, you won't want more. There's nothing there except a nice view of the Qorikancha. If I had to pay for this visit (beyond the tourist ticket which I got for other purposes) I would be...