A 500-year old archealogical site in Peru was vandalized by an unknown assailant who drew graffiti of a penis on it.
The incident occurred in Chan Chan, an archaeological site 300 miles north of Lima, the capital of the country. On May 12, a video was uploaded on Facebook which showed a man wearing a white t-shirt and carrying a black backpack. In the video, the man could be seen defacing a mud plaster wall by spray painting a penis figure on it using black paint. The video soon went viral and came under the radar of the ministry of culture of Peru.
In a statement, the ministry said: “This act constitutes a serious lack of respect for our historical and cultural legacy, and represents a violation of the norms that protect archaeological heritage.” Reports suggest that such a crime carries heavy fine and up to six years of imprisonment under Peruvian law. The tourist police at Chan Chan closed the area soon after the incident came to light, while the culture ministry sent a team to inspect and repair the damage.
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Chan Chan is an ancient archaeological site that holds immense importance for the history of Peru. It used to be the capital of the Chimu Kingdom before it fell to the Incas in the 15th century. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has been described as the “largest earthen architecture city in pre-Columbian America.”
This is the second high-profile act of archaeological vandalism in Peru this year; in February, a man was arrested for causing ‘irreversible damage’ to a five century old architecture.
