Tourist sparks nationwide backlash after spreading ash at Machu Picchu: ‘No respect’

What’s worse than desecrating someone’s remains? The desecration of something with their remains.

A tourist “raised the ire” of cultural preservationists after she was seen sprinkling a lover’s ashes at Peru’s Machu Picchu.

The clip was originally posted on TikTok by Peruvian tour operator IncaGo Expeditions, but was removed amid backlash.

Unidentified woman scatters ashes on a Machu Picchu terrace. I’m Press

In the footage, which has since been re-shared online, the unidentified woman is seen standing atop one of the terraces of the 15th-century Inca fortress as she scatters ashes in the wind, Jam Press reported.

The footage ends with her taking a bow and then hugging another person.

Machu Picchu. T’ika Oregón, a lawyer with the Cusco Commission of Jurists, told local media that “archaeological sites are not repositories of any kind of ashes, much less of a dead person.” Getty Images/iStockphoto

Peruvian cultural officials did not take too kindly to the traveler desecrating the sacred monument, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Peru.

Some saw her actions as an example of why the powers-that-be should step up historic preservation efforts.

The woman hugs another person after the stunt, which has renewed calls to increase the region’s historic preservation. I’m Press

T’ika Oregón, a lawyer with the Cusco Commission of Jurists, told local media that “archaeological sites are not repositories of any kind of ashes, much less of a dead person,” the Daily Mail reported.

The court also claimed that the ceremony could have been a promotional stunt orchestrated by IncaGo, explaining.

“It must be determined whether it is an agency that is devoting itself to this objective or whether it is a person and according to the degree of participation, the seriousness will have to be given the maximum penalty,” she declared.

The Ministry of Culture claimed it is currently trying to identify the woman and the tourism agency responsible for the desecration.

“Machu Picchu deserves respect and protection from visitors and tour operators, who are obliged to respect the provisions contained in the regulations to visit the Inca city of Machu Picchu,” the organization said in a statement.

TikTok commenters also condemned the woman’s actions with one critic writing, “Let the full weight of the law fall on the person who did this, he had no respect for Machu Picchu.”

Another wrote: “What is the need to make it into a universal jewel, such as Machu Picchu?”


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Image Source : nypost.com

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