LIMA, Peru — A beer commercial shoot that damaged a stone sundial in the famous Inca ruins of Machu Picchu has drawn harsh criticism from archaeologists and politicians, who say not enough is being done to preserve the 500-year-old stone city.
The Intihuatana, or "hitching post for the sun," is a granite block carved into the peak of the mountain where Machu Picchu lies, high in the jungle-covered Andes, about 300 miles southeast of the capital, Lima. A jutting edge of the sundial the length of a ball point pen was chipped off Friday when a 1,000-pound crane used to film a beer commercial toppled over.
Cultural experts were aghast.
"Machu Picchu is the heart of our archaeological heritage and the Intihuatana is the heart of Machu Picchu. They've struck at our most sacred inheritance," said Federico Kaufmann Doig, a prestigious Peruvian archaeologist.
"This is an affront to our ancestors," he said.
The Intihuatana was used by Inca astronomers to predict solstices and was of great importance in Inca mythology and agriculture. It is considered the most important shrine in Machu Picchu.
The commercial was shot by the U.S. publicity firm J. Walter Thompson for beer company Cervesur, a subsidiary of Peru's largest beer company, Backus & Johnston.
The shoot was approved by the Cuzco office of Peru's National Institute of Culture. However, Gustavo Manrique, director of the office, said the permit specified only light equipment could be used.
Manrique said the production crew sneaked the crane into the sanctuary at dawn after the National Institute of Culture specifically prohibited the use of a crane.
Criminal charges have been filed against the production company for destruction of national patrimony, or ancestral property, he said. The charges carry a sentence of two to four years in prison.
Opposition Congressman Daniel Estrada, a former mayor of Cuzco, presented a motion to Congress on Monday demanding an official explanation of the accident.
"This act has revealed many things — starting with the fact that the government has no policy on protecting the country's historic monuments," Estrada said.
Cervesur, one of the biggest companies in the impoverished Cuzco region, promised to help repair the damage, a procedure experts said would require advanced restoration techniques.
"Although we do not feel responsible for this regrettable event, we are committed to help clear up what happened," said Cervesur regional manager Carlos de la Flor.