An intoxicated man in Cusco, Peru, has defaced a historic Inca artifact known as the 12-angled stone. The carved rock is a piece of a wall that once surrounded a historic palace. It has become a symbol of the Inca’s advanced stonework.
Just before 1 a.m. on February 18, a Peruvian citizen attacked the stone, chipping it in six visible places, according to a government statement. The vandal has already been arrested—and as Jorge Moya Coháguila, director of the Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Cusco, told the Andina News Agency, his crime could be punished with prison time.
:focal(800x450:801x451)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/85/e9/85e91c4b-ec3d-4e76-a524-32455d9bd715/480294396_966537978984296_555534585089449129_n.jpeg?fit=1200,800&quality=105&strip=all&contrast=5&brightness=10&zoom=1.1&ssl=1)
Speaking near the wall, which lines Cusco’s Hatunrumiyoc Street, Moya emphasized the importance of protecting the 12-angled stone—an emblem of the Inca capital.
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/33/a7/33a710a5-b6e9-4f00-ae2c-b7fba72a78b2/475913397_966538248984269_3269639425102526156_n.jpeg?fit=1200,800&quality=105&strip=all&contrast=5&brightness=10&zoom=1.1&ssl=1)
“This is a heritage we all share, and we must defend it,” he told the Andina News Agency. “Our specialists are evaluating the degree of damage,” and authorities will take “the necessary actions with specialized organizations” to restore the stone.
The man may have used a hammer to damage the stone, knocking off multiple fragments, according to Agence France-Presse. Moya told reporters that the damage is “irreversible.”
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/87/fb/87fb34c5-bf2d-4d83-baa2-8bd3f3fe6a59/480561420_966538195650941_4854149229608246607_n.jpeg?fit=1200,800&quality=105&strip=all&contrast=5&brightness=10&zoom=1.1&ssl=1)
The Inca were an Indigenous people who lived among the Andes Mountains in Peru. They established their capital of Cusco around the 12th century. Inca architecture often involved mᴀssive stones, which were transported via ramps and meticulously carved to fit together perfectly.
The Hatunrumiyoc wall was built during the reign of Inca Roca, who ruled between about 1350 and 1380. The wall was originally part of Inca Roca’s palace, which colonizers later partially demolished and rebuilt as an archbishop’s residence. Its large 12-angled stone is named for the 12 distinctly cut sides that allow it to sit flush with 11 surrounding stones.
Peruvian officials have condemned the recent vandalism of the stone. As Moya says in the statement, “We call on all of our citizens to join our cause in defense of these valuable ᴀssets and to denounce any act that threatens our cultural heritage.”
“In accordance with current regulations, this act is a cultural crime that could be punished with a prison sentence of up to six years,” Moya says in the statement. “We will ask for the maximum penalty, because damage to heritage is irreversible.”
