Archeologists in Peru Protest New Airport Near Machu Picchu
More than 5,000 archeologists and other academics in Peru have signed a petition protesting the construction of an airport near the ancient Inca citadel, Machu Picchu.
The proposed location of the new airport is in the town of Chinchero: a small village halfway between Cuzco and Machu Picchu and considered to be the gateway to the Sacred Valley that leads to the UNESCO World Heritage site. According to Lonely Planet, construction on the airport was originally slated to begin in 2013, but after many delays, finally broke ground in January.
Related: The 7 Best Starter Credit Cards
Currently, most tourists who visit Machu Picchu fly into Cuzco's Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport (CUZ), which is about 46 miles from the archeological site and handles mostly regional flights from within Peru or neighboring countries. Visitors must then take a train or bus to the ancient ruins. The new airport, The Guardian reported, would allow tourists to fly directly to the Machu Picchu area from major cities in the US and around Latin America.
In the petition, archeologists are warning that the influx of tourists from the new airport could ruin Machu Picchu and cause, "irreparable damage to the culture of Peru and humanity."
"This is a built landscape; there are terraces and routes which were designed by the Incas," Natalia Majluf, a Peruvian art historian at Cambridge University who began the petition, told The Guardian. "Putting an airport here would destroy it."
Dr. Gabriela Ramos, a senior lecturer also at Cambridge, told Lonely Planet that there could be a "total collapse of the site" if the airport project proceeds. "The Sacred Valley is also one of the most beautiful and environmentally-rich sites in the southern Andes," she said. "The airport will destroy the whole Sacred Valley of the Incas by bringing a number of tourists the area cannot sustain."
In recent years, Machu Picchu has been battered by overtourism. More than 1.5 million people visited the ruins in 2017. The hoards of visitors forced officials to enact strict entry policies that require tourists to buy timed entry tickets that are only valid for one hour.
"I don't think there's any significant archeologist or historian working in the Cusco area that hasn't signed the petition," Majluf told The Guardian.
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.