Attacked in other countries during social and political protests, historical monuments and statues in Peru's capital came out of recent street demonstrations practically intact.
Peru plunged into turmoil in early November when Congress voted to oust President Martín Vizcarra. Protesters filled the streets, decrying the move as a parliamentary coup, and some clashed with the police. After a week, there were two protesters dead and more than 200 injured.
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Attacked in other countries during social and political protests, historical monuments and statues in Peru's capital came out of recent street demonstrations practically intact.
Luis Bogdanovich, municipal manager for the recovery of the Historic Center of Lima, said 30 out of 91 downtown monuments were covered with plastic, fabric or boarded up, like eight statues of national heroes from the 19th century. The protection was implemented practically the same day the protests started.
In the main plaza of Lima, the monument to José de San Martín, Peru's liberator, was covered with fabric and its base boarded up. The wooden planks around the pedestal were used as blackboards, where protesters wrote messages against politicians and corruption in the country.
Francisco Sagasti, a lawmaker and an engineer by training, was chosen by Congress in mid-November as the new president of Peru, its third in just over a week of protests.
A bronze statue of an Andean farmer with two bulls plowing the land, is wrapped in plastic, located on the Paseo de los Heroes boulevard in Lima, Peru, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Target of attacks in other countries during social and political protests, historical monuments and statues in Peru's capital came out of recent street demonstrations practically intact. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
A sculpture of a lioness outside the Palace of Justice is wrapped in plastic in Lima, Peru, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Monuments were practically spared, in part because they were protected with plastic or fabrics, but also because they were not the aim of protesters as they filled the streets, decrying a parliamentary coup in early November when Congress voted to oust ex-President Martín Vizcarra. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
A bust of Fermin Diez Canseco, a military hero who fought in the War of the Pacific War, is seen wrapped in black plastic, on the Paseo de los Heroes boulevard in Lima, Peru, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. The municipality of Lima for the the first time in 485 years took precautions to protect historical monuments and statues, while Peru was mired in a whirlwind of demonstrations and a political crisis that resulted with three presidents in nine days. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
The bottom half of a sculpture of woman that represents autumn is wrapped in plastic, in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Monuments were practically spared, in part because they were protected with plastic or fabrics, but also because they were not the aim of protesters as they filled the streets, decrying a parliamentary coup in early November when Congress voted to oust ex-President Martín Vizcarra. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
A monument to Argentine hero José de San Martín, who proclaimed the independence of Peru from the Spanish viceroyalty in 1821, is protected with cloth in the main square of Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, where for decades the largest political demonstrations have been concentrated. The wooden plates that cover the pedestal of the statue have become blackboards where some protesters have written anti-government messages. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
But monuments were practically spared, in part because they were protected with plastic or fabrics, but also because they were not targeted by protesters.
A statue of Peruvian theologian Jorge Dintilhac, founder of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, sits wrapped in plastic in Lima, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Target of attacks in other countries during social and political protests, historical monuments and statues in Peru's capital came out of recent street demonstrations practically intact. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
Luis Bogdanovich, municipal manager for the recovery of the Historic Center of Lima, said 30 out of 91 downtown monuments were covered with plastic, fabric or boarded up, like eight statues of national heroes from the 19th century. The protection was implemented practically the same day the protests started.
The official said that even some demonstrators helped authorities to wrap some of the statues.
Some other monuments were simply surrounded by police officers during the protests to avoid any damage.
The statue of a lion that sits at the main entrance of the Palace of Justice is wrapped in plastic, in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Monuments were practically spared, in part because they were protected with plastic or fabrics, but also because they were not the aim of protesters as they filled the streets, decrying a parliamentary coup in early November when Congress voted to oust ex-President Martín Vizcarra. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
In the main plaza of Lima, the monument to José de San Martín, Peru's liberator, was covered with fabric and its base boarded up. The wooden planks around the pedestal were used as blackboards, where protesters wrote messages against politicians and corruption in the country.
Art historian Miguel Sánchez Flores thinks protesters didn't damage any monument because “they didn't summarize what they were opposed to.”
Lawmakers ousted Vizcarra, a popular president, using a 19th century-era clause claiming he showed “permanent moral incapacity.” They accused him of taking over $630,000 in bribes in exchange for two construction contracts while governor of a small province years ago. Prosecutors are investigating the accusations, but Vizcarra has not been charged and he denies any wrongdoing.
A sculpture of an eagle that sits in front of Justice Palace is wrapped in plastic, in Lima, Peru, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Monuments were practically spared, in part because they were protected with plastic or fabrics, but also because they were not the aim of protesters as they filled the streets, decrying a parliamentary coup in early November when Congress voted to oust ex-President Martín Vizcarra. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
Francisco Sagasti, a lawmaker and an engineer by training, was chosen by Congress in mid-November as the new president of Peru, its third in just over a week of protests.
More than three weeks after the first protest, monuments are still covered in plastic or fabric, although protests have faded in the capital.
The monument of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, a mestizo chronicler of the 16th century, is wrapped in a green fabric, in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. The municipality of Lima for the the first time in 485 years took precautions to protect historical monuments and statues, while Peru was mired in a whirlwind of demonstrations and a political crisis that resulted with three presidents in nine days. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
A bronze statue of an Andean farmer with two bulls plowing the land, is wrapped in plastic, located on the Paseo de los Heroes boulevard in Lima, Peru, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Target of attacks in other countries during social and political protests, historical monuments and statues in Peru's capital came out of recent street demonstrations practically intact. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
A sculpture of a lioness outside the Palace of Justice is wrapped in plastic in Lima, Peru, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Monuments were practically spared, in part because they were protected with plastic or fabrics, but also because they were not the aim of protesters as they filled the streets, decrying a parliamentary coup in early November when Congress voted to oust ex-President Martín Vizcarra. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
A bust of Fermin Diez Canseco, a military hero who fought in the War of the Pacific War, is seen wrapped in black plastic, on the Paseo de los Heroes boulevard in Lima, Peru, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. The municipality of Lima for the the first time in 485 years took precautions to protect historical monuments and statues, while Peru was mired in a whirlwind of demonstrations and a political crisis that resulted with three presidents in nine days. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
The bottom half of a sculpture of woman that represents autumn is wrapped in plastic, in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Monuments were practically spared, in part because they were protected with plastic or fabrics, but also because they were not the aim of protesters as they filled the streets, decrying a parliamentary coup in early November when Congress voted to oust ex-President Martín Vizcarra. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
A monument to Argentine hero José de San Martín, who proclaimed the independence of Peru from the Spanish viceroyalty in 1821, is protected with cloth in the main square of Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, where for decades the largest political demonstrations have been concentrated. The wooden plates that cover the pedestal of the statue have become blackboards where some protesters have written anti-government messages. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)