Visitors will see gold and silver crowns, breastplates, bracelets and funerary objects that provide insights into Andean cosmology, as well as a rare object called a quipu. This is a cotton textile piece with a series of knotted strings that, in the absence of written language, allowed users to calculate and record transactions.

McKay said her personal favourite was the “really intricate” jewellery that combined gold, turquoise and shell. “Some people will like the erotic pots,” she added. “The Peruvians were never backward in coming forward about procreation, let’s say.”

Exhibitions like this are thriving, McKay said, because of what they offer tourists, families with children and culturally-minded adults.

“People predicted the end of the blockbuster. [But] I haven’t seen that in our experience. People are always looking for something new to do. Parents want to do things with their children that are fun and also educational – but it’s not education in the traditional sense. You’re experiencing another culture.”

The exhibition, which has previously run in Boca Raton in Florida, Paris and Milan, opens on November 23.

During its six-month run, the museum will hold Peruvian-themed events, including conversations, music, tours and food.

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