By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-14 16:52:42 | Updated at 2024-11-22 09:29:34
1 week ago
A tourist's visit to Machu Picchu sparked outrage after spreading what are believed to be human ashes on the hallowed grounds of the 15th century Peruvian sanctuary.
A TikTok video shared by IncaGo Expeditions showed the woman holding a transparent bag and leaning over a cordoned area at the world-famous archeological site.
She then dumped the ashes and bowed before another woman stepped forward and gave her a hug.
T'ika Oregón, a lawyer with the Cusco Commission of Jurists, told state news agency Addnina that 'archaeological areas are not repositories of any type of ashes, much less of a deceased person.'
She also claimed that it could have also been a stunt by IncaGo Expeditions to promote its tours at Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
'It must be determined if it is an agency that is dedicating itself to this objective or if it is a person, and according to the level of participation, of seriousness, the maximum penalty will have to be given,' she said.
The Ministry of Culture said in a statement that it opened an investigation to identify the woman and tour agency involved.
"Machu Picchu is a Cultural and Natural Heritage of Humanity, identified by its immense exceptional universal value and represents a work of art of the human creative gene,' it said.
Peruvian authorities have opened an investigation after a tourist was filmed dumping what are believed to be human ashes at Machu Picchu
A woman recently went viral and sparked outrage after she visited Machu Picchu, the 15th century Inca sanctuary in Peru, and sprinkled ashes out of a bag
'As such, Machu Picchu deserves respect and protection from visitors and tourism operators, who are obliged to comply with the provisions contained in the regulations for visiting the Inca city of Machu Picchu,' the ministry added.
The woman's actions were immediately condemned before the 30-second clip was pulled down by the local tour company, which operates out of Coscu.
'May the full weight of the law fall on the person who did this act, there was no respect for Machu Picchu', one person commented.
'What is the need to do it in a universal jewel, such as Machu Picchu?' another chimed in.
'It is a sacred place, a historical sanctuary, it is a place that is respected as if it were your home,' another person said.
Tourists in the past have been called out for the lack of respect while visiting ancient grounds.
In November 2022, Abigail Villalobos climbed up the Pyramid of Kukulcán and posed for photos at the Mayan site in Tinum, Mexico.
A video shared by a local Peruvian tour company, IncaGo Expeditions, went viral after a woman (pictured) was releasing ashes from a bag
Machu Picchu is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site
Villalobos was filmed walking through one of the temple's four terraces at the front of the steps before exiting as an enraged group of people shouted obscenities at her from down below.
A security guard trekked up the pyramid to get her to walk down.
DailyMail.com reached out to IncaGo Expeditions for comment.
