Authorities in Peru are searching for the vandal responsible for spray-painting the image of a penis onto a wall of Chan Chan, an ancient archaeological city 300 miles north of Lima.
The vandalism, which was filmed, was dealt to one of the original walls of the more than 600-year-old pre-Columbia city. The Chan Chan Archaeological Zone is operated by Peru’s Ministry of Culture, and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
According to Artnet, a video appeared on Facebook on May 12 of an individual wearing a white t-shirt, and carrying a black backpack, marking a large section of the mud plaster walls with black spray paint. After the video went viral online, it prompted the Peruvian ministry of culture to release a statement.
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“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,” the ministry stated, adding that it had also launched an investigation against the people responsible for the vandalism and filed a criminal complaint.
The Andina News Agency reported the act of vandalism falls under Article 226 of Peru’s Penal Code, meaning that the person found responsible for the damage could face a heavy fine and up to six years of imprisonment. The Andina News Agency is a news service owned and operated by the Peruvian government.
Shortly after the incident, Peru’s tourist police inspected the damaged wall at Chan Chan before the Ministry of Culture sent a team to clean and restore the site to its original condition.
Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimú kingdom before it fell to the Incas in the 15th century, has been described by UNESCO as “the largest earthen architecture city in pre-Columbian America.” Its “extensive, hierarchically planned remains” are “an absolute masterpiece of town planning” and comprise of “nine large rectangular complexes (‘citadels’ or ‘palaces’) delineated by high thick earthen walls.”
The damage at Chan Chan follows the arrest of a man in February for damaging a 500-year-old artifact known as the 12-angle-stone. Surveillance cameras captured video of a man using a metal object to damage the 500-year-old “emblematic stone structure” in six places.