What’s worse than desecrating someone’s remains? Desecrating something with their remains.
A tourist “urned” the ire of cultural preservationists after she was spotted sprinkling a loved one’s ashes at Peru’s Machu Picchu.
The clip was originally posted to TikTok by Peruvian tour operator IncaGo Expeditions but was taken down amid the fierce backlash.
In the footage, which has since been reshared online, the unidentified woman is seen standing atop one of the 15th-century Inca citadel’s terraces as she scatters the ashes to the wind, Jam Press reported.
The footage concludes with her taking a bow and then embracing another person.
Peruvian cultural officials didn’t take too kindly to the traveler defiling the sacred landmark, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage landmark in Peru.
Some saw her actions of an example of why the powers-that-be need to step up historical preservation efforts.
T’ika Oregón, a lawyer with the Cusco Commission of Jurists, told local media that “archaeological areas are not repositories of any type of ashes, much less of a deceased person,” the Daily Mail reported.
The litigator also claimed that the ceremony could’ve been a promotional stunt orchestrated by IncaGo, explaining.
“It must be determined if it is an agency that is dedicating itself to this objective or if it is a person, and according to the level of participation, of seriousness, the maximum penalty will have to be given,” she declared.
The Ministry of Culture claimed its currently trying to identify the woman and tour agency responsible for the desecration.
“Machu Picchu deserves respect and protection from visitors and tourism operators, who are obliged to comply with the provisions contained in the regulations for visiting the Inca city of Machu Picchu,” the organization said in a statement.
TikTok commenters also condemned the woman’s actions with one critic writing, “May the full weight of the law fall on the person who did this act, there was no respect for Machu Picchu.”
Another wrote, “What is the need to do it in a universal jewel, such as Machu Picchu?”
