Pizarro House-Museum

Francisco Pizarro, the conqueror of Peru, was born in Trujillo, and his family's house is now a museum devoted to his life. It is a Gothic manor house from the 15th and 16th centuries in Plaza de Santa María, at the top of the medieval town, a step from the church of Santa María la Mayor and on the way to the castle.

What you see

The museum is spread over two floors. The ground floor recreates the home where Pizarro spent his childhood and youth: what a house of the period was like inside, with its rooms and furniture. The same floor shows the cultural exchange that followed the discovery of America, what travelled in each direction between the two continents.

The upper floor is devoted to the life and work of Francisco Pizarro, from Trujillo to the conquest of Peru, with objects, furniture, documents and recreations. It is a short, well-ordered visit that helps you understand why Trujillo is so tied to America, a relationship you then see in the palaces of the Plaza Mayor and in the conqueror's equestrian statue. It works for adults and for older children who already have an interest in history.

Opening hours and admission

The Turismo de Extremadura listing gives hours of 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:30, without specifying the days. The price is not published: ask at the tourist office in the Plaza Mayor, on 927 322 677. There are guided tours. Allow about three quarters of an hour.

If you take Turismo Trujillo's guided tour of the medieval town, admission to the House-Museum is included, along with the castle, the church of Santiago and the Discoverers' Centre: it is the most convenient way to see it with commentary.

Accessibility

It has adapted educational material and an accessible toilet. The climb from the Plaza Mayor is a cobbled slope that can be hard with a pushchair or wheelchair; ask at the tourist office about the most comfortable access.

Getting there and what to combine it with

From the Plaza Mayor you walk up through the streets of the medieval town in a few minutes of uphill. Next door you have the church of Santa María la Mayor, with the altarpiece by Fernando Gallego, and higher up the castle, with its cisterns and the views over the plain. If you arrive late in the day, the sunset visit climbs up to the alcazaba in the light of dusk. To sleep right in the old town, look at the Casa de Orellana or the Parador.