Ancient Peruvian pyramid destroyed by developers

From the Guardian:

eal estate developers using heavy machinery tore down a 20ft (6m) tall pyramid at one of Peru's oldest archaeological sites, cultural officials have said.

Rafael Varon, deputy minister of cultural patrimony, told reporters on Wednesday that the destruction occurred over the weekend at the ruins of El Paraiso, a few miles north of Peru's capital, Lima.

He said his agency has lodged criminal complaints against two companies for the damage – identified as Alisol and Provelanz – and has moved to seize the equipment used. People who answered the telephone at both companies said no one was available to comment.

Peru's tourism ministry says El Paraiso was built some 4,000 years ago and was a religious and administrative centre, long before the rise of the Inca culture encountered by the Spanish conquerors.

How can a thing like this happen in Peru? I get the religious defacing of ancient sites in the Middle East, though it's purely ignorant.

In Peru, what possible gain could they have wanted? Did they think no one would notice? Did they not notice they were demolishing an ancient structure?

What price progress for God's sake?

Harte

reply to post by Harte

How can a thing like this happen in Peru? I get the religious defacing of ancient sites in the Middle East, though it's purely ignorant.

Familiarity breeds contempt or, in cases like this where the subject is history, it produces a kind of malaise and uncaring.

In Pennsylvania at the site of the Gettysburg battlefield, there's been a fight going on for quite a while to prevent developers from trashing this place.

When you are surrounded by so much history, you tend to take it for granted... it becomes less special. While the world around you wonders just how in the heck you could bulldoze such a place... locals probably don't think twice.

“They had asked for a certificate for the absence of archaeological remains which was denied by the Ministry of Culture because of the obvious existence of archaeological remains. So they knew, they knew very well about the marked-off area. They did this on purpose. And from what the archaeologist has explained to us, it was planned down to the millimetre with a lot of people involved in the crime making it difficult for them to react before the police arrived,” Ternero said

A government minister confirmed that developers had tried to destroy three other pyramids but were stopped by locals. The department of cultural patrimony has lodged criminal complaints against the two companies involved.

Yea, it makes you wonder why, who has such an interest in the demolition of these sites?


www.euronews.com...

I read that on german news and was kinda shocked about the intentional descruction of an unique archeological site like this..I dont know what the official percentage number of done excavations is in that area, like 5% overall ( ?), but thats no excuse to destroy just a single one. Maybe somebody paid those idiots to hide something..

cheers

Sad day....

Idiots in corporations/companies, this was described nicely in Avatar where company/corporation would go long way to achieve its goals...

There is no fine that can substitute for damage done... this should be worth some long jail time...

These are real estate developers.

How is it that Peru doesn't buy up (or seize) real estate like this?

Why couldn't developers build around the site?

Put a mall around it and leave the site in the central plaza. You could charge an entrance fee for God's sake.

Harte

reply to post by Harte


Third world countries have less sophisticated corrupt individuals and usually give in to the slightest offer of bribe or other variation there of...

More sophisticated power groups have bigger things on their plates than to worry about some vitally important ruins that could undermine their agenda...

It happens to paleontologists too. Developers give them a little time to dig up a few bones before sending in the bulldozers. Digging by these researchers is slow, it is delicate.

In this case, it appears that they knew they were destroying the site, it was not an oversite. I would think that the site as the center of a development would bring up the value of all the properties they were developing. The developers were not too smart. A nice park like that in the middle would have doubled their profit. S&F

To me it looks more like they used stones as building materials... something that has been happening everywhere, including in China with great wall.

Worker might not even know what he did... I still think that fine would not be enough to prevent any future damage.

Didn't they destroy an ancient mound there a couple months ago also?

Or was that Belize

Originally posted by Sparta
Didn't they destroy an ancient mound there a couple months ago also?

Or was that Belize

Yeah Belize. When you have lots of ancient ruins in the are the locals treat them as 'terrain'. I saw that repeatedly in Bahrain where the great burial mounds were being nibbled away. In a small island they cover a significant amount of space.

Originally posted by Hanslune

Originally posted by Sparta
Didn't they destroy an ancient mound there a couple months ago also?

Or was that Belize

Yeah Belize. When you have lots of ancient ruins in the are the locals treat them as 'terrain'. I saw that repeatedly in Bahrain where the great burial mounds were being nibbled away. In a small island they cover a significant amount of space.

aye thats mad, I understand the general natives in the area if they wish to destroy it fair game, but when real estate companies do it I tend to disagree

No comment
25 to life.

reply to post by Im2keul

Yea, it makes you wonder why, who has such an interest in the demolition of these sites?

I totally agree, when there is so much other real estate down in South America why tear up with is already standing. Our past! So I also question who wants to demolish these sites.

Stari

a reply to: Harte

I thought you were well aware that modern humans have hearts made of toxic rubbish and minds equivalent to sewer rats Harte?

a reply to: Harte

Follow up news report
gadling.com...

Two private companies, Compañía y Promotora Provelanz E.I.R.L and Alisol S.A.C Ambas, claim to own the land, but the Ministry of Culture says it’s owned by the government. Both sides have put up signs at the site claiming ownership. After the bulldozing incident, the government doubled security.

Now Past Horizons reports that two months later, no charges have been brought against the companies or any individuals identified as being part of the work crew. It appears that the two companies have won this round.

originally posted by: UFOdanger
a reply to: Harte

I thought you were well aware that modern humans have hearts made of toxic rubbish and minds equivalent to sewer rats Harte?

"Modern?'

When has it ever been otherwise?

Harte