geoglyph

June 17 (UPI) — Peru’s Ministry of Culture denounced the total destruction of the Triple Spiral pre-Hispanic geoglyph, a figure more than 1,000 years old linked to water worship, located within a protected archaeological zone in the north of the country.

The agency said specialists and National Police officers confirmed the intentional removal of the geoglyph through manual alteration of the terrain in the Quebrada Santo Domingo Archaeological Zone, in the district of Laredo, La Libertad region, about 350 miles north of Lima.

“The sequence of events suggests that this attack may constitute retaliation against the recovery and protection actions carried out by the state in defense of cultural heritage,” the ministry said in a statement.

The destruction occurred just days after an operation conducted by cultural, municipal and police authorities to evict illegal occupants who had installed makeshift structures within the Quebrada Santo Domingo Archaeological Zone.

During the operation, authorities removed improvised shacks and fences and detected suspected illegal agricultural activities inside the protected area. They are also investigating the possible clandestine installation of pipelines to extract water from the Chavimochic canal, one of Peru’s most important irrigation and hydraulic infrastructure megaprojects.

Authorities also identified five individuals who claimed to be guarding the land on behalf of an alleged possessor. The Decentralized Directorate of Culture said those individuals are part of the investigation being conducted by prosecutors.

The Triple Spiral was considered one of the principal archaeological symbols of Quebrada Santo Domingo.

The figure measured more than 65 feet meters in length and 19 feet in width and had been associated by researchers with ceremonial practices related to the management and worship of water among pre-Hispanic societies on Peru’s northern coast.

Sandra Barrantes, deputy director of the Decentralized Directorate of Culture of La Libertad, described the incident as an “irreparable loss” for Peru and for the world’s cultural heritage, according to Noticias RPP.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation to identify those responsible and determine possible administrative, civil and criminal penalties.

Quebrada Santo Domingo covers more than 1,500 hectares protected by the state and preserves evidence of human occupation from approximately 11,000 years ago through the 15th century.

The complex contains petroglyphs, ceremonial roads and remains associated with the Cupisnique, Moche and Chimu cultures.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the Triple Spiral was one of the site’s most representative features, and its cultural significance had been compared to that of the famous Nazca geoglyphs in southern Peru. Its destruction completely erased archaeological evidence linked to the worship and management of water in ancient societies on Peru’s northern coast.