11:12 | Cusco (Cusco region), Jul. 14.
The Cusco Superior Court ordered release under simple appearance requirements and placed under investigation with restrictions the young people who spray-painted several stones of the Inca walls along Loreto Passage, at the entrance to the Imperial City's Main Square, with white aerosol paint.
The Third Transitional Preparatory Investigation Court for Flagrante Delicto Cases in Cusco ordered the release of Joaquin E. Pacheco Lastreros and Leonardo S. Villarruel Valdivia following a hearing on the Public Ministry's request for immediate proceedings, filed on July 11.
The defendants were caught in the early hours of last Friday spray-painting graffiti on the stone structures, an act of vandalism that was captured by surveillance cameras operated by the Cusco Municipality.
Both 23-year-olds are under investigation for the alleged offense against Peru's cultural property and paleontological heritage, specifically the illegal removal of cultural property, as established under Article 228 of the Criminal Code, to the detriment of the Culture Ministry.
Decentralized Directorate of Culture (DDC) in Cusco Chief Maritza Rosa Candia said she expects the investigation to lead to sanctions.
The institution, through advisers from the Cultural Heritage Protection Office and the Office of the State Attorney, has filed the corresponding complaint.
"We must respect our heritage. We all have an obligation to protect and preserve it," Rosa Candia said.
She also confirmed that specialists from the institution's Physical and Chemical Department are continuing the cleaning process on the damaged Inca stonework.
(END) PHS/TMC/MVB
Publicado: 14/7/2026