School kids attack Chan Chan’s finest huaca

January 9, 2010

Terrible news for lovers of Peru’s ancient history and archaeology enthusiasts: Peruvian school children viciously attack one of the greatest works of their ancestors.

The group filmed themselves throw rocks, kick and scratch the ancient friezes of the Huaca Arco Iris, also known as the Huaca del Dragón, to later post on You Tube to show off to friends. One, putting on a Spanish accent, films them saying “kick it, kick it, this is how you love your Peru, no?”.

Groups of Peruvian school children travel across the country in organised end of year school trips, and at least in my experience, are usually the ones leaving graffiti and plastic bottles at Peru’s most important archaeological sites – the majority of which left abandoned by the government’s National Institute of Culture (INC).

The unsupervised youngsters were from the Toribio de Luzariaga school in Lima’s Los Olivos district. Their names are Edgar Barzola Pillaca, Daniel Castillo Quille, Antonia García Moreno and Alí Torres Ríos who filmed and uploaded the video.

Alí Torres later apologised online via his blog, only to be met with a barrage of insults and death threats from angry Peruvians, who as Susan Hoefken knows, should not be crossed.

Our tax money can’t be used to educate an animal like you. Get out of this country or learn to pluck chickens, idiot.

You’re f**ked now, you b*stard, you’re gonna pay dearly ****

You’re gonna die you f**king traitor, we’re waiting for you in Trujillo

Your youth and the culture that surrounds you are some of the factors that you think can explain your actions. I have news for you:

Not one bit. It’s your existence.

Thanks to creatures like you I understand more and more that there exists a kind of inferior race of humans. You don’t meet the requirements, really. You are something that breathes, eats and excretes, nothing more… oh and do whatever beastly activities you otherwise do. This will be your future today, tomorrow and forever.

Those of us that think, the human race, we don’t want you, we don’t want to see you, so I suggest you disappear. You don’t know how much anger this has caused. Be careful, inferior little creature.

Official Response

The director of the INC of La Libertad, the region in which the pyramid is located, stated publicly that the destruction of part of the friezes was a “savage and cowardly act”.

Unfortunately, the frieze that was attacked was 100% original at more than 1,100 years old. It dated to the early period of the Chimú civilisation and was a representation of fertility.

Experts say that part of the adobe design was broken off and may be impossible to fit back. The other damage done was to an area of plain wall that was built in the 1960s when the site was restored.

Both the INC, the people of the region and the government are demanding that an example be made of the group and that they feel the full force of the law.

According to the law, damage inflected on national heritage is punishable by up to 3 years in jail. The group of boys aged 17, almost 18, made indeed be sentenced that harshly.

Apologies

As well as the apologies from the group themselves, who claim that they simply got caught up in the moment, the principle of their school also made an apology. The teacher and parents that accompanied the group though will also be investigated.

Peruvians are demanding, as well as stiff punishment, that the group make public apologies to the entire nation. So far, the on personal appearance by someone related was by the father of one of those involved who said he classified the crime as “mischief”.