Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Judi Lynn

(162,358 posts)
Wed May 15, 2019, 12:33 AM May 2019

'It would destroy it': new international airport for Machu Picchu sparks outrage


Dan Collyns in Chinchero
@yachay_dc
Wed 15 May 2019 01.00 EDT

Peruvian archaeologists decry new airport that would carry tourists directly to already fragile Inca citadel

Cities is supported by
Rockefeller FoundationAbout this content
Dan Collyns in Chinchero

@yachay_dc
Wed 15 May 2019 01.00 EDT

Among the Inca ruins that abound in Peru, none draw nearly as many tourists as the famed Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. There were more than 1.5 million visitors in 2017, double the limit recommended by Unesco, putting a huge strain on the fragile ruins and local ecology.

Now, in a move that has drawn a mixture of horror and outrage from archaeologists, historians and locals, work has begun on clearing ground for a multibillion-dollar international airport, intended to jet tourists into Machu Picchu directly.

Bulldozers are already scraping clear millions of tonnes of earth in Chinchero, a picturesque Inca town about 3,800 metres above sea level that is the gateway to the Sacred Valley. This area was once was the heartland of a civilisation that stretched from modern-day Colombia to Argentina, and in the 15th century was the world’s largest empire.

“This is a built landscape; there are terraces and routes which were designed by the Incas,” says Natalia Majluf, a Peruvian art historian at Cambridge University who has organised a petition against the new airport. “Putting an airport here would destroy it.”

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/may/15/archaeologists-outraged-over-plans-for-machu-picchu-airport-chinchero
7 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
'It would destroy it': new international airport for Machu Picchu sparks outrage (Original Post) Judi Lynn May 2019 OP
Wait ... NOT THE ONION?!? mr_lebowski May 2019 #1
Now for a big, huge neon Trump sign. in gold, of course. That would be a sight. Midnight Writer May 2019 #2
Vibes to Manchu Picchu. When I was on Margarita Island off Venezuela applegrove May 2019 #3
I know this area quite well . . . Richard D May 2019 #4
Horrible idea. Just a Peru was hoping to limit the number of visitors sinkingfeeling May 2019 #5
I read about what you explained not too long ago. They were very much worried at that time. Judi Lynn May 2019 #7
Tragic Lulu KC May 2019 #6

applegrove

(123,037 posts)
3. Vibes to Manchu Picchu. When I was on Margarita Island off Venezuela
Wed May 15, 2019, 01:53 AM
May 2019

Last edited Wed May 15, 2019, 02:34 AM - Edit history (1)

they were selling flights past angel falls at all the resorts as extra $$$ excursion. Flights to Manchu Picchu will be marketed everywhere far and wide. It will be a more of a zoo.

Richard D

(9,336 posts)
4. I know this area quite well . . .
Wed May 15, 2019, 02:45 AM
May 2019

. . . this airport is a travesty. The community of Chinchero is old and beautiful. One of the most important traditional repositories of the old way of making textiles. It's also an incredibly beautiful part of the alta plano. My heard weeps for this.

Judi Lynn

(162,358 posts)
7. I read about what you explained not too long ago. They were very much worried at that time.
Thu May 16, 2019, 03:50 AM
May 2019

Whoever pushed all the reality-based concern aside to make this move for profit has done the whole world a disservice. That are needs special protection. It can't last forever with multitudes of people showing up continually. It wasn't built to take that kind of traffic.

Lulu KC

(4,146 posts)
6. Tragic
Wed May 15, 2019, 09:18 AM
May 2019

Part of the wonder is getting there--the train switching back and forth up the mountain. Unforgettable experience.

Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Anthropology»'It would destroy it': ne...