Groups illegally bulldoze, build house at heritage site in Peru, officials say
Police in northern Peru arrested two groups accused of illegally bulldozing and building a house at an archaeological park with 500-year-old ruins. Cultural officials described the damage as irreparable.
Law enforcement officials visited Chan Chan Archaeological Zone on April 17 as part of routine inspections and found someone illegally using a bulldozer to clear a trail, Peru’s Ministry of Culture said in an April 18 news release.
Police arrested the bulldozer driver and a second person suspected of hiring them, accusing both of crimes against cultural heritage.
Chan Chan Archaeological Zone is the 500-year-old capital city of the Chimu Kingdom and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to UNESCO. The site was “the largest (city) in pre-Columbian America,” its ruins spanning over five square miles.
A few days later, on April 20, officers were patrolling the archaeological site again and found three people in the process of illegally building a single-room concrete structure, cultural officials said in another news release.
Police arrested all three, seized their construction materials and accused them of attempting to illegally occupy the site.
Chan Chan Archaeological Zone has been threatened by “endemic plundering of archaeological remains,” “illegal occupation of the property” and other “illegal activities” for decades, according to UNESCO. The park has been included on the “List of World Heritage in Danger” since 1986.
The two latest incidents are the most recent examples of a larger trend, according to officials.
In January 2024, Peru’s Ministry of Culture ordered the demolition of a housing development built illegally within the Chan Chan Archaeological Zone, according to a news release from the park. The unauthorized development included buildings up to six stories high, parks, water systems, a power grid and sewage disposal station.
Cultural officials did not say what charges, if any, the recently arrested individuals face but noted that some crimes against cultural heritage property are punishable with up to six years in prison.
Between April 18 and 21, police also reported damage to several more archaeological sites in northern Peru, including illegal excavations and looting.
Peruvian officials asked the public to report any signs of illegal activity at archaeological sites.
Chan Chan Archaeological Zone is about 350 miles northwest of Lima, the capital city.
Google Translate was used to translate the news releases from Peru’s Ministry of Culture and Chan Chan Archaeological Zone.
This story was originally published April 22, 2025 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Groups illegally bulldoze, build house at heritage site in Peru, officials say."
