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Drunk tourists trash archaeological site
The ancient Chilean town of Tulor has been trashed by a group of drunken tourists.Tulor is an extensive town with well-preserved adobe houses of the Atacameño culture, dating from 380 BC to 1200 AD and is a popular site for tourists, with 10,000 visits a year. Yesterday Chile's National Monuments Council said they found damage to some of the town's ancient walls and there were beer bottles and plastic cups strewn everywhere.
Nobody has been caught, but trashing a heritage site is a serious crime in Chile, with a penalty of up to five years in jail. That's considerably more time than the one night in jail that a group of drunken British tourists got for insulting Catholicism by dressing up as nuns and going on a binge in Crete.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, South America, Chile
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Unexpected Traveller Apr 18th 2010 7:06AM
Such an unfortunate and shocking incident. People spend lots of time and money to keep ancient monuments and sites going and seeing it all go up in smoke is hardly the thanks you'd expect.
What many tourists may not realise is that, especially in poorer or smaller countries, funds for restoration may come from private individuals who care for the community and their history. One instance I came across was a converted Satanists Chapel in Malta: http://wp.me/ppqxP-nu
Nancie (Ladyexpat) Apr 18th 2010 9:53AM
I hope they catch who ever is responsible, and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.
They have shown complete disrespect along with their criminal behavior.
Hopefully, they will never leave their homelands again.
Claire Langan Apr 19th 2010 8:52AM
It is hard enough to mantain important acient sites from the elements of nature without human being destroying all. They should be set a example and given extreame punishment and never allowed to travel again and jail term in there homeland. http://www.ethicalcoatings.ie/