In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones recovers the golden idol in Peru during the film’s opening sequence.
The sequence takes place in 1936 and introduces Jones as an adventurous archaeologist navigating a booby-trapped temple. He removes the idol from its pedestal, triggering a series of traps and a famous escape involving a giant rolling boulder.
The location is fictional within the story, but the film identifies the setting as Peru. The sequence was designed as a fast introduction to Indiana’s skills, daring, and vulnerability before the main Ark of the Covenant story begins.
A common mix-up is confusing this opening adventure with the film’s later Egyptian locations. The Ark storyline moves mainly through Egypt, while the idol sequence establishes Peru as the film’s first major setting.