Looting Inca Graves
June 2001
0.02 Peru an archaeological treasure chest with its legacy of Incas and Spanish conquistadores. Some sites are even older. This one at Lambayeque along the northern coast, is a burial place of the Mochicas. They are considered to be one of the most important cultures in the history of Andean society and thrived more than 2,000 years ago. They produced an incredible amount of ceramics, textiles and artefacts made of gold.
0.30 Its the gold, in particular, that attracts modern Peruvians.
0.35 Some are drawn because of what the gold was turned into. Others are lured by the price that the objects could fetch when sold - illegally.
0.46 Francisco Rojas is a single father who supported his family by working the land. But Perus struggling economy combined with climate changes wrought by El Nino, changed all that.
0.59 Now when Francisco Rojas digs into the ground, its to live off Perus past.
1.05 There is a kind of art to looting archaeological sites. Testing the firmness of the ground is an indicator of what the site might have been used for and what could lie underneath.
1.19 Diggers have to proceed cautiously because many objects are fragile. Pottery and textiles might interest archaeologists, but they are not so easy to smuggle or sell on the black market. The big money is made by the international traffickers who sell mainly to collectors in Europe and the United States. For the local people, its a necessity.
1.42 FRANCISCO ROJAS, LOOTER, IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Because of unemployment, people excavate. They excavate for survival. Cayalti used to be a farm, but now their fields do not produce as they used to. So people have to excavate to survive and to sustain their families.
2.20 Like Francisco Rojas, many of Cayaltis residents are poor people eking out an existence while living above hidden treasure.
2.28 The town sits pretty much in the middle of what was a principal Mochica burial site in Lambayeque region of northern Peru.
2.39 The local economy has come to depend increasingly on what the authorities call archaeological looting.
2.47 Carlos Huester is a Peruvian archaeologist who has dedicated most of his career to preserving and protecting his countrys national heritage. Most of the looters know him and many fear him too, but despite that, it is sometimes difficult to know where to start ina place like Cayalti.
3.08 He accompanies specially trained police on raids. They're trying to stop the centuries old tradition of grave digging not the easiest of tasks especially when it's a family business.
3.20 This man was too busy teaching his son how to raid a burial site to notice the police on their trail. Some of the officers used to fight terrorists, but after a crackdown on rebel groups, they have been redeployed to less dangerous pursuits. Although the tomb raiders have been caught, there is no legislation specific to the looting of archaeological sites like this. Imprisonment is rare and few diggers have the money to pay fines. So more often than not, the punishment is confiscation of a looters tools. That, in itself, is effective for a while, at least.
4.05 Carlos Huester runs Perus biggest archaeological laboratory outside Lima. Its funded by the government and is attached to a museum of ancient artefacts.
4.18 All the looted items that have been recovered, along with pieces from official digs, are brought here to be cleaned by specially-trained local people and filed for further study. Theres a real commitment here to protect Perus rich heritage, which extends way beyond the Inca period that most foreigners might think of. A lot of the equipment has been donated from the very places the United States and western Europe to which much of the looted material finds its way. The laboratory specialists tend to see items like clothing and cooking utensils, which have archaeological, rather than intrinsic value. For people like Carlos Huester, the preservation of Perus past has become a personal crusade one which defines the country's present and future.
5.17 CARLOS HUESTER, ARCHAEOLOGIST, IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
More than a professional challenge, this has became a personal challenge where I am convinced that a country that honours its past has a lot of future and through those lessons that the past gives us, we can plan the future of this nation.
5.40 Specialists say that the Peruvian authorities are not providing enough help for their efforts; they are poorly financed and badly equipped. But given Perus economic and political problems, preserving the heritage is bound to take a lower priority than the archaeologists would prefer.
5.57 Formal archaeological excavations financed by the government are relatively rare, which usually leaves the looters plenty of time to find and dig out valuable pieces. Luis Jaime Castillo is head of the archaeology department at the Catholic University of Lima the most prestigious establishment in the country.
6.19 He has directed most of the important excavations in northern Peru. Among the recovered items are mummies, which are thousands of years old. Because they were conducting a scientific recovery, the archaeologists spent six months working on a site that looters might rob and destroy in a night. Castillo has seen the great importance of involving local people and teaching them the value of formal archaeological excavation and monitoring that could be profitable for them if properly regulated.
6.55 He believes education is the key to stop further damage to Perus national heritage.
7.04 LUIS JAIME CASTILLO, HEAD OF THE ARCHAEOLOGY DEPARTMENT AT THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF LIMA:
One thing that we know is that if we have more archaeology in the field, the site will be guarded. One thing that we know is when we have an archaeologist working on site, nothing happens to the site, so as many archaeologists that we can bring, as many activity that we can bring to the field, the more that we make noise, the more that we demonstrate people that we are making things happen and that these things have a positive effect over their lives I think it would be easier to guard the sites.
7.33 The way Francisco Rojas sees it, theres no alternative to securing his familys future other than by digging up his countrys past.
7.42 Any jobs open to former farmers like him are few and far between, and that shows no sign of changing.
7.54 ENDS
June 2001
0.02 Peru an archaeological treasure chest with its legacy of Incas and Spanish conquistadores. Some sites are even older. This one at Lambayeque along the northern coast, is a burial place of the Mochicas. They are considered to be one of the most important cultures in the history of Andean society and thrived more than 2,000 years ago. They produced an incredible amount of ceramics, textiles and artefacts made of gold.
0.30 Its the gold, in particular, that attracts modern Peruvians.
0.35 Some are drawn because of what the gold was turned into. Others are lured by the price that the objects could fetch when sold - illegally.
0.46 Francisco Rojas is a single father who supported his family by working the land. But Perus struggling economy combined with climate changes wrought by El Nino, changed all that.
0.59 Now when Francisco Rojas digs into the ground, its to live off Perus past.
1.05 There is a kind of art to looting archaeological sites. Testing the firmness of the ground is an indicator of what the site might have been used for and what could lie underneath.
1.19 Diggers have to proceed cautiously because many objects are fragile. Pottery and textiles might interest archaeologists, but they are not so easy to smuggle or sell on the black market. The big money is made by the international traffickers who sell mainly to collectors in Europe and the United States. For the local people, its a necessity.
1.42 FRANCISCO ROJAS, LOOTER, IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Because of unemployment, people excavate. They excavate for survival. Cayalti used to be a farm, but now their fields do not produce as they used to. So people have to excavate to survive and to sustain their families.
2.20 Like Francisco Rojas, many of Cayaltis residents are poor people eking out an existence while living above hidden treasure.
2.28 The town sits pretty much in the middle of what was a principal Mochica burial site in Lambayeque region of northern Peru.
2.39 The local economy has come to depend increasingly on what the authorities call archaeological looting.
2.47 Carlos Huester is a Peruvian archaeologist who has dedicated most of his career to preserving and protecting his countrys national heritage. Most of the looters know him and many fear him too, but despite that, it is sometimes difficult to know where to start ina place like Cayalti.
3.08 He accompanies specially trained police on raids. They're trying to stop the centuries old tradition of grave digging not the easiest of tasks especially when it's a family business.
3.20 This man was too busy teaching his son how to raid a burial site to notice the police on their trail. Some of the officers used to fight terrorists, but after a crackdown on rebel groups, they have been redeployed to less dangerous pursuits. Although the tomb raiders have been caught, there is no legislation specific to the looting of archaeological sites like this. Imprisonment is rare and few diggers have the money to pay fines. So more often than not, the punishment is confiscation of a looters tools. That, in itself, is effective for a while, at least.
4.05 Carlos Huester runs Perus biggest archaeological laboratory outside Lima. Its funded by the government and is attached to a museum of ancient artefacts.
4.18 All the looted items that have been recovered, along with pieces from official digs, are brought here to be cleaned by specially-trained local people and filed for further study. Theres a real commitment here to protect Perus rich heritage, which extends way beyond the Inca period that most foreigners might think of. A lot of the equipment has been donated from the very places the United States and western Europe to which much of the looted material finds its way. The laboratory specialists tend to see items like clothing and cooking utensils, which have archaeological, rather than intrinsic value. For people like Carlos Huester, the preservation of Perus past has become a personal crusade one which defines the country's present and future.
5.17 CARLOS HUESTER, ARCHAEOLOGIST, IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
More than a professional challenge, this has became a personal challenge where I am convinced that a country that honours its past has a lot of future and through those lessons that the past gives us, we can plan the future of this nation.
5.40 Specialists say that the Peruvian authorities are not providing enough help for their efforts; they are poorly financed and badly equipped. But given Perus economic and political problems, preserving the heritage is bound to take a lower priority than the archaeologists would prefer.
5.57 Formal archaeological excavations financed by the government are relatively rare, which usually leaves the looters plenty of time to find and dig out valuable pieces. Luis Jaime Castillo is head of the archaeology department at the Catholic University of Lima the most prestigious establishment in the country.
6.19 He has directed most of the important excavations in northern Peru. Among the recovered items are mummies, which are thousands of years old. Because they were conducting a scientific recovery, the archaeologists spent six months working on a site that looters might rob and destroy in a night. Castillo has seen the great importance of involving local people and teaching them the value of formal archaeological excavation and monitoring that could be profitable for them if properly regulated.
6.55 He believes education is the key to stop further damage to Perus national heritage.
7.04 LUIS JAIME CASTILLO, HEAD OF THE ARCHAEOLOGY DEPARTMENT AT THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF LIMA:
One thing that we know is that if we have more archaeology in the field, the site will be guarded. One thing that we know is when we have an archaeologist working on site, nothing happens to the site, so as many archaeologists that we can bring, as many activity that we can bring to the field, the more that we make noise, the more that we demonstrate people that we are making things happen and that these things have a positive effect over their lives I think it would be easier to guard the sites.
7.33 The way Francisco Rojas sees it, theres no alternative to securing his familys future other than by digging up his countrys past.
7.42 Any jobs open to former farmers like him are few and far between, and that shows no sign of changing.
7.54 ENDS