Casa Tupak Yupanki


Contemporary Peruvian Art and Cultural Center


Casa Tupak Yupanki is a Peruvian art and cultural center acknowledging the Inca past while emphasizing contemporary art and culture of Peru. It is located at 159 (previously 265) Calle Arequipa just 2 blocks from the Plaza de Armas in Cusco... almost in the center of town and part of the monumental district. Portions of the house are rented to art galleries, restaurants, and stores selling art or fine artisanal products. We also host presentations/exhibitions in the plastic/visual and performing arts to further the interaction of the community and visitors with the arts and Peruvian artists and performers.

Current galleries, stores and restaurants include:

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Tres Mundos Restaurant, Cafe and Bar in pictures. Tres Mundos offers indoor dining as well as dining in the patio. The ‘tres mundos’ (3 worlds) menu includes Dutch, Asian, and Peruvian foods. Tres Mundos Restaurant ... the place to be in Cusco!

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Toma Uno Restaurant and Literary Cafe in pictures. Toma Uno (or Take 1) offers indoor dining as well as dining in the patio. Its menu includes an abundance of sandwiches, juices and deserts that are a mix of Peruvian and typical ‘Western’ cuisine. ‘Take 1’ is a take-off on movie and television production filming with takes 1 through whatever for the various scenes in a production.

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Galería de Arte Fractal Dragon in pictures. The Fractal Dragon Art Gallery (in depth presentation) presents contemporary Peruvian art... paintings, ceramics and sculpture for viewing and for sale contemporary . The gallery currently comprises three rooms in the first floor of the house, but will expand to include two large galleries, an office and gallery store in the 2nd floor of the house in July.

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Lazos (fine alpaca clothing) in pictures. Lazos offers fine alpaca clothing and accessories for the discriminating visitor.

Please check back later for an updated list of galleries, stores and restaurants, and for a list of cultural and artistic events planned for the house.

Our 'house' was constructed in 1732 on part of the imperial palace of the Inka Tupak Yupanki in Cusco, Peru. While we use the original Spanish spelling for this name, the modern Spanish spellings Tupac Yupanki or Tupac Yupanqui are very commonly used.

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Casa Tupak Yupanki in pictures. The architecture is a mix of colonial and republican. The house is two story adobe construction with walls one meter thick, roofs of antique ceramic tiles and a modest patio surrounded by the four wings of the house. The spacious galleries on the 2nd floor and the interior patio form part of an art gallery and are available for art and cultural presentations. We also maintain part of the 2nd floor as our apartment.

It is a difficult task fixing up an antiquity while maintaining architectural and cultural integrity within some kind of reasonable budget during a world-wide economic crisis. We are not yet finished with this process, but we are opening the available portions of the house now. Come July, we hope to finish work on the antique part of house and hold an official opening with invitees from many of the venues in Cusco. (I hope this means we will no longer be living as nomads moving from one part of the house to another as we work on it.)

If you wish to learn more about the house, please email the director of Casa Tupak Yupanki.