LIMA, Peru — A vandal defaced Chan Chan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Peru, with obscene graffiti over the weekend, the Ministry of Culture said Monday.
In a video that went viral, a young man wearing a backpack can be seen spray-painting a giant penis on a wall of this fortified complex that is more than 600 years old.
“This act constitutes a grave disrespect toward our history and cultural heritage, as well as a violation of the regulations that protect archaeological heritage sites,” the ministry said.
The vandal faces up to six years in prison and has not been identified.
Chan Chan was the site of the largest earthen architectural city in pre-Columbian America, according to the United Nations.
It once held temples, dwellings and storehouses, often decorated with abstract motifs.
Chan Chan reached its peak in the 15th century as a vast city that was home to about 30,000 people, and was 20 kilometres (12 miles) square.
It is located about 550 kilometres north of Lima near the coastal city of Trujillo, and has been a UNESCO site since 1986.
Along with the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu and the Sacred City of Caral-Supe, Chan Chan is one of the most beloved archaeological sites in Peru.
