Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By: Ross Knutson

A recent article in “El Comercio” brought to the forefront the current danger facing the historical centre of Lima, a Unesco World Heritage Site. The article lamented the current state of disrepair and the long road ahead if central Lima is to be protected and preserved. The fact that central Lima is in disrepair generally does not catch anybody by surprise. What surely turned a few heads was the fact that the historical center of Lima is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

According to Unesco, in order for a site to qualify as a World Heritage site it must be considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. When the words World Heritage site and Peru are put together the first thing that most people think of are the ruins of the ancient city of Machu Picchu and if digging a bit further they would say that the city of Cusco might be a Unesco World Heritage site. But never would it cross anyone’s mind to think that the old downtown city centre of Lima, with its pollution, traffic, abundant chaos and lack of security would be a World Heritage site.

It is because of these problems facing the city of Lima that that Unesco is currently conducting an evaluation of the historical centre of Lima. While the study is focused on the city of Lima itself it is also shedding some light on the other World Heritage Sites in Peru. Peru is blessed with 10 World Heritage sites from the famous ruins of Machu Picchu to the almost unknown ruins of the ancient city of Chavin. These and the eight other sites include ancient cities, cultural areas and natural wonders, all of which were determined to have value to humanity and were designated as World Heritage sites. As these sites are of great importance measures must be taken and laws enforced to ensure their survival. Sadly, this is not always the case.

When reading the news over the last couple of months it appears that Peru is losing this battle to protect its heritage sites. The archaeological ruins of Chan Chan, near Trujillo, are already listed on Unesco’s “Danger List”. Other threats, ranging from roads being constructed near the Nasca Lines to illegal logging pressure in and around Manu National Park show the diverse set of issues that are currently confronting Peruvian authorities. Non-human factors also play a role in causing potential harm to these sites. Recently, several scientific studies have expressed concern that landslides have the potential to do great harm to Peru’s most famous site, Machu Picchu. The “El Niño” climatic conditions have wreaked havoc on the ancient adobe city of Chan Chan. Other problems such as erosion and exposure to the elements also take their toll on these treasures of humanity.


Despite strong economic incentives to do so, protecting these sites is not easy. Peru at the moment is struggling with how to increase tourism while simultaneously ensuring that enough resources exist to ensure that these sites remain protected. As the article in “El Comercio” points out the City of Lima will be investing some $976 million to revitalize, preserve and protect its historical area. It is true that most of this money comes from private enterprises or in the form of grants but it still needs to be administered by local authorities. Other sites are so remote that providing them with significant vigilance and sufficient resources to mitigate potential threats is extremely difficult. The line between exploitation and preservation is exceptionally fine.


While Peru struggles to find the right balance between showing off its universal heritage while at the same time protecting it, it falls upon everyone to make sure they do what they can to protect and preserve this truly rich heritage. Remember as Unesco states, World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located. So, next time you are in central Lima remember that World Heritage sites are more than just ancient pyramids or naturally beautiful areas and ignore the pollution, traffic congestion, noise, and look around and see what a World Heritage site struggling to take shape looks like.

Peruvian Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List:

• Chan Chan Archaelogical Zone (1986)
• Chavin (Archaeological Site) (1985)
• City of Cuzco (1983)
• Historic Centre of Lima (1988)
• Historical Centre of the City of Arequipa (2000)
• Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana (1994)
• Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (1983)
• Río Abiseo National Park (1990)
• Huascarán National Park (1985)
• Manú National Park (1987)

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3 Comments

# Michael White & Clara Bravo says :
18 May, 2006 [ 04:45 ]

Possible future World Heritage Sites include Huacas del Sol y la Luna, which recently won a prize for being the best conservation project in Latin America. E36,000 prizemoney will contribute to investigations to locate the future site museum, a prerequisite for Word Heritage sites. www.huacadelaluna.org.pe The Sipan site (including museum) also recently received the promise of PES/6million from Italy. El Brujo inauguration & discovery of Peru's first lady governor give it great prospects too. www.xanga.com/ElBrujoPeru Colonial Trujillo & Cajamarca have to overcome traffic congestion etc to obtain World Heritage status.

# Michael White & Clara Bravo says :
30 July, 2007 [ 04:29 ]

Museo de Señora de Cao
The Regional Director of the National Institute of Culture said this would be open by the end of 2007.
An acclimatized room will contain the ''Tattooed Lady'', also her necklaces, nose ornaments, pendants, staffs & more objects that indicated her power over the Moche culture.
Travel Update 30/7/07.

# Michael White & Clara Bravo says :
3 December, 2007 [ 07:16 ]

The Museum exhibit of Señora de Cao will be ready at the end of April 2008.
The Museum exhibit of Señora de Cao, buried 1,700 years ago in the Archaelogical Complex of El Brujo, will be ready in April 2008, informed Marco Aveggio, President of the Peruvian Wiese Foundation. The home of the Señora de Cao will be constructed by the Peruvian Wiese Foundation locally in Magdalena de Cao, 570 Km. north of Lima, & will require an investment of US$1 million.
www.travelupdate.com.pe 3/12/2007

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