My Favorite Place in Lima: the Brain Museum

If I have to die, I hope my brain is worthy enough to be studied or contribute to scientific causes in some way. That sounds a lot better than simply being buried or cremated, and perhaps marginally better than being donated (though that’s a worthy goal of itself…).

One of a thousand brains on display at the Museo del Cerebro (the Brain Museum) in Lima, Peru.

With several hundred brains on display across the three-room museum, the scientific collection inside the Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo Hospital is probably the largest in the world that’s open to the public. It’s intended more for the academics and neurology students, and the usual caution is that it’s not for those people with a weak stomach. (If you’re fortunate enough to have access to the 7,000 specimens at Harvard’s Brain Tissue Resource Center, good for you – send pictures, please!)

We have neuropathologist Diana Rivas to thank for this collection. The hope, it seems, is that by showing what a sick brain looks like (including those damaged by drugs or alcohol), you’ll be more interested in keeping your own brain healthy. The collection started back in the 1940’s, and the good doctor supervises a number of autopsies at the hospital. As you might guess, this gives her a chance to procure them for the collection. More than a few species are represented, but humans make up the vast majority. Most of the examples in the first room show abnormal development, while others show brains with various demencias:

A number of brains on display at the Museo del Cerebros (Brain Museum) in Lima, Peru.

You won’t need a lot of Spanish to appreciate being surrounded by bizarre brains, which is great. Assuming you’re reasonably familiar with English medical terms, you’ll discover that Spanish medical terms are quite similar (thanks, Latin!). The staffperson (or your preferred translation app on your phone) is there for what you can’t quite figure out. I didn’t try to quiz them on the various brains (partially because my Spanish isn’t up to snuff), but he seemed happy to chat with visitors.

Most brains in the final rooms are numbered and clearly meant as storage, but this is also the area holding brains from a sloth, sheep, chicken, guinea pig, and more. Plenty more brains are stored here with a large number being a reminder these are still used for study.

At 15 Peruvian soles, the Museo Del Cerebros is one of the more expensive tourist destinations in Lima (and tourists are paying more than locals) – still, it’s a small price to pay for one of oddest attractions in Peru.

Directions and details

Jirón Ancash 1255 (inside Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurológicas, or Peru’s Institute of Neurological Science). GPS: -12.0461765,-77.0164001. Open Monday-Saturday 8am-12:30pm.

From the well-known Museo y catacumbas de San Francisco (Catacombs of St. Francis), your best bet is a 1.5km walk along Jirón Ancash. Exit left to head east along the road As you’re walking, keep your eyes out for any minivans heading to the hospital (Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurológicas). Either way, look for the hospital on the left.

Once there, pass by the hospital entrance, get a ticket inside the brown door, walk back to hospital entrance, take ticket to the caja (cashier) window. Once in, walk straight, down the ramp, and look right. You may see a sign for the Museo de Neuropatologia – that’s the place.

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