The Government of Peru aspires to leave behind the crisis that afflicts the country and in order to improve the external image of the country, seeks to reopen Machu Picchu this Wednesday. The ruins have been closed since December.
Las authorities of Culture of Peru “They are working” to reopen access to the famous Inca ruins of Machu Picchu from this Wednesday. The attraction remains closed due to the social and political crisis affecting the Andean country since last December.
It was the Minister of Culture, Leslie Urteaga, who this Monday reported the work carried out together with regional and local activities, through technical meetings. In her words, the president of the country, Dina Boluarte: “She has asked us to join efforts from various sectors to reopen Machu Picchu.”
The authority considered that the negative image suffered by his country by not allowing access to one of the seven wonders of the modern world, located in the jungle of the southern region of Cuzco, is “really worrying.”
“We hope that the mayors of the neighboring provinces will provide us with guarantees for all visitors. If we have that certainty, the 15th would be the day to reopen ”narrowed.
Millions in losses due to the closure of Machu Picchu
Urteaga remarked that Machu Picchu “will always be the jewel of Peru and the world.” Currently, he indicates, there is “the possibility of dialogue with all the actors, to reopen and visit the llaqta (citadel) in peace, without violence or threats.”
He also reported that with the closure of access to the ruins the Cuzco region has lost 5 to 6 million soles (between 1.3 and 1.5 million dollars).
In turn, he announced that the Peruvian authorities are “working on a recovery plan for the image of the country abroadwhich is expected to be presented in the coming months.
This initiative will seek to “say that Peru is a peaceful, safe country and that we are prepared to receive visitors from all countries,” he said.
archaeological recovery
On the other hand, the minister pointed out that they are advancing “in the technical part” to recover the archaeological zone of Kuelap, in the northern region of Amazonas. This, at the beginning of last year, was affected by a landslide caused by geological faults.
“For this reason, we have made an effort to have a multidisciplinary technical team, not only archaeologists, but also engineers, geologists, hydrologists, because we have a geological fault there,” he said.
In this regard, he stressed that archaeologist José Bastante has agreed to leave his duties as head of the Functional Area of the Machu Picchu National Archaeological Park to lead the Kuelap Archaeological Research Program (PRIA) “with the support of international entities.”
Urteaga concluded that his office considers “that working from heritage education is a milestone to forge better citizens and reinforce pride for what is ours, for our identity and our cultural diversity.”