Peruvian government argued anger of archaeologists by restricting the protection of famous Nazca lines

Not but not. The Peruvian government seemed such a good idea at the end of May. The reserve within which the 1,500-year-old Nazca lines was protected a UNESCO World Heritage Site of the highest interest, could quite be smaller. That would give more room to gold extraction, important for the always difficult economy of Anderland. The protected Nazca area is from 5,600 km² to 3,200 km² be reduced. And really on the basis of ‘studies into the actual heritage value’, the Peruvian government swore.

It is not the easiest time for Peru. The country is plagued by political corruption and a growing power of criminal gangs. The planned contraction of the Nazca reserve was part of a plan to illegal gold mining in the area to legalize.

But the Peruvian government had counted outside the archaeological community. The Nazca lines are an important testimony to the culture and skills of Indian culture before the time that the Spanish colonizers turned the continent upside down millions of Indians died from wars and infectious diseases. The lines in valley of the Nazca River indicate pilgrim routes to old temple complexes and are surrounded by large and smaller figures of animals and plants. They were formed a thousand to two thousand years ago by removing the dark top layer of the desert soil, making the light surface visible. In the dry desert area, those lines remain visible for centuries even without maintenance.

A storm of protest arose when the plans of the Peruvian culture ministerie became clear. « The area they want to cut off from the reserve is exactly the part where our research the oldest rituals took place, » Brieste against María Cogorno Mendoza The Guardian. She is chairman of the Lima -based Maria Reiche International Association, which aims to protect the Nazca lines. « They try to erase history. »

Cultural value

And the lawyer César Ipenza scammed The Guardian That there has not been enough research to determine which areas would not have any cultural or archaeological value. The former culture minister and Nazca archaeologist Luis Jaime Castillo said to the British newspaper: « This area is one of our ancestors, and it deserves real protection and not political opportunism. »

Last week the government decision was withdrawn again, but it is not completely gone. A ‘technical panel’ of government representatives, archaeologists, academics and members of international organizations (including UNESCO) will work on a consensus proposal on zones of protection and land use in the area. In the meantime, the illegal mining in the area will continue. « That illegal mining is the most important threat to the Nazca lines, » said Reuters Pieter van Dalen, chairman of the Peruvian Association of Archaeologists.

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