Escaping Montreal for Machu Picchu would be ideal this February, but if you’re low on whip, the MMFA has the next best thing. The new exhibition “Peru: Kingdoms of the Sun and Moon: Identities and Conquest in the Early, Colonial and Modern Periods” opens this Saturday, February 2.

The exhibition features 350 art works and artefacts dating from the pre-Columbian era through to colonial and contemporary periods, covering 3,000 years. Items on display include paintings, sculptures, gold and silver ornaments, pottery, photographs, textiles and videos. Many artefacts have never been seen publicly outside Peru. For example, the pre-Columbian Mochican ornament pictured above was recently repatriated to Peru and is being displayed for the first time outside of the country.

The show runs until June 16, but we recommend getting there sooner: the sight of these Peruvian artistic and archaeological treasures are sure to lend an equatorial vibe to the dreariest wintry Montreal day.

“Peru: Kingdoms of the Sun and Moon” on February 2 to June 16, 2013 @ Montreal Museum of Fine Art, 1380 Sherbrooke St W.