Abstract
Sacred Valley (SV) of the Incas, the heart of the ancient Incan empire located at the river Vilcanota-Urubamba basin, is a rich cultural corridor. When Machu Picchu was inscribed onto the World Heritage List (WHL), ICOMOS recommended this declaration be extended to include the SV landscape in order to protect the entirety of the valuable cultural processes that have taken place within. However, the candidacy was never submitted. A dramatic change is now happening in the area due to the pressure of tourism developers with misguided conceptions. A project to construct an airport in the District of Chinchero, located at the center of the Valley, poses the greatest risk. The project has faced opposition for different reasons. Our focus is on the effects the project could have on the area’s heritage, specifically on three particular world heritage sites: The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (HSMP), the Qhapaq Ñan (QÑ), and the City of Cusco.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ashworth, G., & Tunbridge, J. (1990). The tourist-historic city. London: Belhaven Press.
Bolívar, W. (2016). Diagnóstico y cambios espaciales en el Parque Arqueológico de Ollantaytambo. Arqueología y Sociedad, 32, 451–476.
Covey, A. (1974). The imperial settlement patterns in the Sacred Valley. In A. Covey (Ed.), Regional archaeology in the Inca Heartland: The Hanan Cuco survey (pp. 175–191). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
Dammert, M. (2007). La red de parques arqueológicos. El apogeo del Tawantinsuyo y el desarrollo regional del Cusco. Lima: INC.
García, P. (2014). Blessing or curse? The Chinchero airport. Cultural survival. https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/blessing-or-curse-chinchero-airport#sthash.K8DEMQLd.dpuf. Accessed 12 July 2020.
García, P. (2017). From folk history to empathy: Contesting heritage values in Chinchero, Peru. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 23(4), 335–346.
García, P. (2018a). En el nombre del turista. Paisaje, patrimonio y cambio socia en Chinchero. Lima: IEP.
García, P. (2018b). Weaving for tourists in Chinchero, Peru. Journal of Material Culture, 1(17), 23–26.
García, P. (2019a). Indigeneity in the air: The case of Chinchero Airport in Cusco, Peru. Bulletin of Latin American Research, 39(2, Special issue), 157–171.
García, P. (2019b). Desarrollo turístico e identidad indígena: Cuzco y el nuevo aeropuerto de Chinchero. Revista andaluza de antropología, 17, 64–85.
Gobierno Regional Cusco - Per Plan Copesco. (2011). Plan de Acondicionamiento Territorial 1ra etapa. Provincias De Calca Y Urubamba ‐ Diagnostico. https://www.academia.edu/29678466/PLAN_DE_ACONDICIONAMIENTO_TERRITORIAL_1RA_ETAPA_PROVINCIAS_DE_CALCA_Y_URUBAMBA_DIAGNOSTICO. Accessed 12 July 2020.
ICOMOS (1983). Advisory Body Evaluation (ICOMOS) / Évaluation de l’organisation consultative (ICOMOS). https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/274/documents/.
ICOMOS. (2011). ICOMOS guidelines on heritage impact assessment for world heritage properties. https://www.icomos.org/world_heritage/HIA_20110201.pdf. Accessed 12 July 2020.
Knight, D. W. (2015). Tourism, poverty, and development: Local perceptions, empowerment, and strategies for change in Peru’s Sacred Valley. Doctoral thesis. https://mountainscholar.org/bitstream/handle/10217/167015/Knight_colostate_0053A_12981.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. Accessed 12 July 2020.
Kuntur Wasi. (2015). Estudio de impacto ambiental detallado. “Mejoramiento del servicio aeroportuario de la Región Cusco mediante el nuevo aeropuerto internacional de Chinchero, Cusco”. Informe Final. https://portal.mtc.gob.pe/transportes/socioambientales/estudios_impacto.html.
Llorca-Rodríguez, C. M., Casas-Jurado, A., & Soler-Domingo, A. (2012). Development of the Cuzco region: The tourism contribution. Ambiente y Desarrollo, 16(31), 77–89.
López, M. (2017a). Reubicación y expectativas de modernidad: el caso de las familias campesinas de Yanacona y el proyecto Aeropuerto Internacional de Chinchero (Cusco). Debates en Sociología, 44, 67–90.
López, M. (2017b). El proyecto del aeropuerto internacional y el “boom” de la construcción en Chinchero. Revista Argumentos, 11, 20–25.
MacCannell, D. (1973). Staged authenticity: Arrangements of social space in tourist settings. American Journal of Sociology, 79(3), 589–603.
Ministry of Culture of Peru. Regional Direction of Cusco. (2011). Parques arqueológicos del Cusco. Guía Informativa. Cusco: DDC.
Ministry of Culture of Peru. (2020). Document 0021-2020-VMPCIC/MC from January 22, 2020.
Municipality of Chinchero. (2015, December 15). Nota de prensa nº 075-2015/RRPP/MDCH. [Municipality of Chinchero announces the instalations of water supply improvements for the members of the peasant’s community of Yanacona “affected” by the expropriation process] Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/MunicipalidadChinchero/posts/554218181394629. Accessed 7 June 2020.
Mujica, E. (1993). Ollantaytambo, urbanismo Inka. ½ de construcción, 84, 19–23.
Pereira, A., & van Roers, R. (2012). Editorial: Guidance on heritage impact assessments: Learning from its application on world heritage site management. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 2(2), 104–114.
Proinversión. (2013a). Contratación de un Consultor Integral para el Concurso de Proyectos Integrales para la entrega en concesión al sector privado del Aeropuerto Internacional de Chinchero – Cusco (AICC). Estudios de Preinversión a nivel de Factibilidad del Proyecto. Informe 9a – estudio de preinversión a nivel de factibilidad. Volumen 0. Aspectos generales e identificación, Lima. http://www.proyectosapp.pe/RepositorioAPS/0/2/JER/SA_CHINCHERO_ESTUDIOS_PRE_NIVEL_PERFIL/Perfil_Aeropuerto_Chinchero.pdf. Accessed 17 July 2020.
Proinversión. (2013b). Contratación de un Consultor Integral para el Concurso de Proyectos Integrales para la entrega en concesión al sector privado del Aeropuerto Internacional de Chinchero – Cusco (AICC). Estudios de Preinversión a nivel de Perfil y Factibilidad del Proyecto. Informe Nº 5.A y anexos (Tomo I). http://www.proyectosapp.pe/RepositorioAPS/0/2/JER/SA_CHINCHERO_ESTUDIOS_PRE_NIVEL_PERFIL/Perfil_Aeropuerto_Chinchero.pdf. Accessed 12 July 2020.
Proinversión. (n.d.). Location of the project. http://www.proyectosapp.pe/modulos/JER/PlantillaProyecto.aspx?ARE=1&PFL=2&JER=5897. Accessed 12 July 2020.
Proyecto QÑ Cusco. (2011). Proyecto de promoción y difusión camino Chinchero– Urquillo–Q’espiwanka. Chinchero-Cusco. http://biblioteca.culturacusco.gob.pe:8080/bitstream/ddccusco/687/1/Promoci%C3%B3n%20y%20difusi%C3%B3n%20camino%20Chinchero%20Urquillo%20Q%C2%B4espiwanka.pdf. Accessed 12 July 2020.
Republic of Argentina, Plurinational State of Bolivia, Republic of Chile, Republic of Colombia, Republic of Ecuador, & Republic of Peru. (2013). QÑ Andean Road System. http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/1459.pdf. Accessed 11 July 2020.
Rodríguez, L. (2019). Evaluación de impacto al patrimonio (EIP) del Santuario Histórico de Machupiccu por el proyecto de nuevo aeropuerto internacional de Chinchero – Cusco. Document officially remitted to the author by the Office in charge of institutional transparence of the Ministry of Culture of Peru, in application of the Law 27086. Lima: Ministry of Culture of Peru.
Román, N. (2019). Evaluación de impacto al patrimonio (EIP) del QÑ – Sistema vial andino (Secciones Ollantaytambo – Lares – Valle de Lacco, Vitkus – Conquequirao y la plaza Inka Hanan Huacaypata – Cusco) y la Ciudad del Cusco, por el proyecto de nuevo aeropuerto internacional de Chinchero – Cusco. Document officially remitted to the author by the Office in charge of institutional transparence of the Ministry of Culture of Peru, in application of the Law 27086. Lima: Ministry of Culture of Peru.
WHC. (n.d.). Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/274.
WMF. (n.d.). Sacred Valley of the Incas. https://www.wmf.org/project/sacred-valley-incas. Accessed 12 July 2020.
WTO. (2003). Tourism market trends 2002—Americas. https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284405565. Accessed 18 July 2020.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Martorell, A. (2021). Defending the Sacred Valley of the Incas Against Misguided Tourism Development. In: Niglio, O., Lee, E.Y.J. (eds) Transcultural Diplomacy and International Law in Heritage Conservation. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0309-9_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0309-9_18
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-0308-2
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-0309-9
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)