Peru's Culture Minister Salvador del Solar, Huamanga Province Mayor Hugo Aedo, and Patronato Pikimachay Chairman Carlos Añaños signed a convention that officializes the nomination of Ayacucho to become a UNESCO World Heritage.
According to Huamanga Municipality officials, the signing ceremony took place at the
Wari architectural complex in Southern Ayacucho region.
The event was also attended by Housing, Construction and Sanitation Minister Carlos Bruce and Ayacucho Region Governor Wilfredo Oscorima, among other authorities.
"We're proud of our country, our culture, of the history we have inherited from our Wari ancestors," Aedo expressed.
"[...] we are already articulating efforts to take this application process to UNESCO. Thus, a technical file will be prepared to enter the
Tentative List of
World Heritage [Sites]," the mayor said.
During the ceremony, the provincial authority thanked the support provided by the Culture minister and the Patronato Pikimachay chairman.
"We're going to join efforts to make this application a reality. The Municipality of Huamanga is already working on the recovery and enhancement of value of the historic center through the Copesco Plan, as well as on the construction of the drainage system [...] and the recovery of the main colonial temples' atriums in the city […]," he added.
On his part, Minister Salvador del Solar stressed the leading role played by Ayacucho, a region that —precisely— represents the definitive
independence of the Inca nation and Latin America.
According to the cabinet member, his administration has recently carried out an indebtedness operation with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with the purpose of placing value on
Huamanga's historic center. It entails S/43 million (about US$13.27 million).
"We expect to [...] strengthen [the area] with the necessary budget to improve its attractions, so they work as a magnet and lure domestic as well as foreign tourists, thus turning the region into a tourist pole," the cabinet member concluded.
(END) NDP/MAO/JAA/MVB