A prehispanic geoglyph more than a thousand years old, it was completely destroyed in the district of Laredo, province of Trujillo, region Freedomin a fact that has been described by the Ministry of Culture as a serious attack against cultural heritage of the Nation. The figure, known as ‘The Triple Spiral‘, would have been intentionally deleted a few days after a state operation against land invaders in the archaeological zone.
The destruction was denounced by residents of the Santo Domingo town center and defenders of cultural heritage, who warned about the vulnerability of the area to illegal land trafficking. After a technical inspection, specialists from Culture sector and troops of the National Police confirmed the total disappearance of the geoglyph.
They investigate deliberate destruction of a geoglyph in Trujillo after the recent eviction of invaders. (Photo: Andina)
According to the Ministry of Culture, the figure was part of the Archaeological Zone XI Quebrada Santo Domingo and it was more than a thousand years old. More than 20 meters long and six meters wide, it had characteristics similar to the Nazca Lines and constituted important archaeological evidence linked to the cult and management of water in ancient societies on the northern Peruvian coast.
The first investigations indicate that the damage was deliberately carried out by manually removing the land. The evidence found indicates that the destruction was directed exclusively at the space occupied by the geoglyph, which would rule out accidental damage.
During the inspection after the attack, a rustic installation consisting of a mattress and an improvised kitchen was also found. In addition, other elements were found that would prove the permanence of people in the place, despite the fact that days before they had been removed during an extrajudicial recovery operation.
Attack against cultural heritage eliminates historic geoglyph similar to the Nazca Lines. (Photo: Andina)
Precisely, on June 9, the Ministry of Culture, in coordination with the District Municipality of Laredo and the National Police carried out an intervention to evict a group of people who were illegally occupying state land within the intangible zone. During this operation, a high-end truck registered in the name of Cristian André Rejano Ayala was seized.
As a result of the temporal proximity between both events, the authorities consider that the destruction of the geoglyph could constitute retaliation for the actions to recover and defend cultural heritage undertaken by the State.
In an official statement, the Ministry of Culture expressed its strongest rejection and condemned the disappearance of ‘El Triple Espiral’, describing it as an irreparable loss for the history of the country. Likewise, he announced that he will promote all the necessary administrative, civil and criminal actions to identify and punish those responsible.
It is not the first time that ‘The Triple Spiral’ has been affected. In 2015, heavy machinery passed over part of the figure and caused partial damage. Although it was then possible to carry out a symbolic reconstruction, specialists warn that the recent attack has caused the definitive disappearance of the geoglyph.
