They burned cardboard and painted on the floor and marble.
The burning of a box with cardboard and paper and the paint on the floor and marble of the facilities in the main square of Trujillo, during an activity apparently carried out by the March 8 Feminist Collective with popular organizations, to protest for various reasons, caused irreversible damage to the nation’s cultural heritage.
Mercedes Armas Gallardo, manager of the Special Project for the Recovery of the Monumental Heritage of Trujillo – PAMT, regretted that these events occur when we are close to commemorating the centenary of our first public space, running the risk that it may be of restricted use, as happened in Lima due to cases Similar.
“There was irreversible damage to the floor of the square and to the marble,” he acknowledged when verifying the initiation of actions to repair the deterioration carried out.
As he explained, the protesters burned cardboard and paper on the floor and spray painted synthetic enamel, causing serious damage to the facilities and serious damage to the monumental heritage.
This represents irreparable damage because to erase this we need to use thinner, white spirit and acid with brushes. The worst thing is that this happens when the marble allegories are going to celebrate their first centenary, he pointed out.
The main square, also known as the Trujillo main square, was declared a Monumental Urban Environment as part of the Cultural Heritage of the Nation, on December 28, 1972. There, in December 1820, the Independence of Trujillo was proclaimed, which is consolidated throughout the country only the following year.
It was learned that the March 8 Feminist Collective called a sit-in in the main square on Wednesday night and it was there where the events described above occurred.
Freedom of expression is being misinterpreted, despite the fact that there is a history of spray paint, we allow this space to remain open and accessible to all, but the behavior of some citizens is not adequate, said Armas Gallardo.
The city official called on citizens to help avoid this type of damage and to raise awareness among groups or people who seek to claim something, what they can do, but without affecting our identity as Trujillo citizens and collective memory.
He added that this is being reported through a report to the Prosecutor’s Office for the Prevention of Crime against Property and the Decentralized Office of the National Institute of Culture.
We hope not to have to reach the intangibility of the monument and the square, as has happened in Lima, where they have had to reach these preventive measures in the face of damage that occurred during marches or protests, he said.
He also made his concern known because a few meters from where they burned cardboard and paper, the International Book Fair was taking place and in the Children’s Room a creative workshop with the participation of children. The facilities are made of fabric and plywood and there was a risk that a spark could cause a major accident, she said.
In addition, around the main square, there are old mansions made of thatch and adobe, a flammable material. “Please do not damage cultural heritage and endanger people’s lives,” he finally said.
