Latest news with #ChanChan
CTV News
13-05-2025
- CTV News
Peruvian historical site vandalized with obscene graffiti in viral video
An archaeologist works on part of an entry corridor that leads to a ceremonial courtyard in the pre-Columbian adobe city of Chan Chan, near Trujillo, Peru on Oct. 22, 2018. (Martin Mejia / AP Photo) 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.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Fury as vandal is filmed spray painting a penis onto wall at ancient Peruvian UNESCO site
A vandal has sparked outrage after being filmed spray painting a penis onto a wall at an ancient Peruvian UNESCO site. In footage, the man was seen spraying the crude graffiti on one of the original walls of Chan Chan, a pre-Columbian city 300 miles north of Lima that is flooded with thousands of visitors each month. He wore a backpack and drew a giant black penis on the stone which is more than 600 years old and a World Heritage Site. Peru's ministry of culture said the culprit showed 'a grave disrespect toward our history and cultural heritage, as well as a violation of the regulations that protect archaeological heritage sites. 'We express our strongest condemnation of this regrettable act of vandalism,' the ministry emphasised in its statement. Authorities have not yet identified the attacker but he could face up to six years behind bars if he is caught under Peruvian heritage protection statutes. The clip of the incident has made its rounds of social media, leaving viewers stunned at how he was able to damage the wall unchallenged. Others questioned why the site was not better protected. Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimu kingdom before it fell to the Incas in the 15th century and it remains one of Peru's most important archaeological sites. The Citadel of Chan Chan was built on an area of approximately 20 square kilometers, featured ten palaces, and at its peak housed approximately 30,000 inhabitants. It is regarded as the largest mud city in the world. The complex features temples, residential structures, and storage buildings, any adorned with intricate and symbolic carvings. It was recognised as a World Heritage Site in 1986 by UNESCO and that same year it was added to the list of world heritage sites in danger. Chan Chan, which means shining sun in the native language, was built with adobe and mud and is the largest city in the Americas built with that material, according to UNESCO. Together with the stone citadels of Machu Picchu and Caral, Chan Chan forms the most important archaeological complexes in Peru. The spray paint attack comes just months after an intoxicated man chipped the 12-Angle Stone, a famous Incan artefact in the city of Cusco. Just before 1am on February 18, a Peruvian citizen attacked the stone, chipping it in six visible places, according to a government statement. 'This is a heritage we all share, and we must defend it,' Jorge Moya Coháguila, director of the Decentralised Directorate of Culture of Cusco told Andina News Agency at the time. 'Our specialists are evaluating the degree of damage,' and authorities will take 'the necessary actions with specialised organizations' to restore the stone.
BBC News
13-05-2025
- BBC News
Chan Chan: Outrage as Peru archaeological site defaced
A vandal has daubed an image of a penis on a wall at a centuries-old Peruvian city recognised by Unesco as a World Heritage man was filmed while spraying the graffiti on one of the original walls of Chan Chan, a pre-Columbian city 500km (300 miles) north of Lima that is visited by thousands of people a ministry of culture said the culprit showed "a grave disrespect toward our history and cultural heritage, as well as a violation of the regulations that protect archaeological heritage sites".Some Peruvians questioned how he was able to damage the wall unchallenged, while others said they were disappointed that the site was not better protected. The video of the incident was widely shared on social media. The culprit could face up to six years in prison if Chan was the capital of the Chimú kingdom before it fell to the Incas in the 15th century and it remains one of Peru's most important archaeological describes it as the largest city in pre-Columbian America, stretching for miles and divided into several "citadels" by thick spray paint attack comes just months after a man chipped the 12-Angle Stone, a famous Incan artefact in the city of Cusco.
New York Times
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
An Essential ‘Buena Vista' Song Finds Its Emotional Place on Broadway
One night in 1984, Compay Segundo, the Cuban singer and guitarist, heard in his dreams what would become his signature song. 'I woke up hearing those four sensitive notes,' Segundo recalled later on. 'I gave them a lyric inspired by a children's tale from my childhood, 'Juanica y Chan Chan.'' A hypnotic account of peasant life in Cuba, 'Chan Chan' has a peculiar power, with four circular, mesmerizing opening chords that make it instantly recognizable. It gained a regional following when it was cut by the guitarist and singer Eliades Ochoa. But a recording of the song, in 1996, by a group of celebrated Cuban musicians who had been assembled for an album to be called 'Buena Vista Social Club,' would become a phenomenon. Now more than 25 years after its release, the best-selling world music album of all time has made it to Broadway in a new musical also titled 'Buena Vista Social Club.' 'Chan Chan' is among eight of the album's 10 songs featured in the show and, perhaps not surprising for such a dramatic and mysterious track, it plays a crucial role in a pivotal moment in the story. As the album of mostly older Cuban standards became a global sensation upon its release in 1997, Segundo's song — about sifting sand by the sea and clearing a straw path along a journey to Cuban towns — became a standout all its own. 'Chan Chan' was never released as a single, but the opening track has been streamed more than 250 million times on Spotify, almost three times more than anything else on the album. (That number is roughly the same as Toni Braxton's 'Un-Break My Heart' and Hanson's 'MMMBop,' both No. 1 hits in 1997.) Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
