Events

Panpipes, Voices, and Information in Protest of New Hotel

Strong Feeing at the Protest of the Sheraton on Saphy (Arnold Fernandez Coraza)

Strong Feeing at the Protest of the Sheraton on Saphy (Arnold Fernandez Coraza)

Yesterday morning a protest took place in the City of Cusco. It developed on the main square, the Plaza de Armas, and was organized by the General Assembly in order to protest the continued construction of the new Sheraton hotel on Saphy Street.

The protest began at 11 am. In a loud voice the organizers made their opinions felt. They sang, harangued,and also played instruments: panpipes and drums.

Informing the Public about Damage to Cusco's Patrimony (Arnold Fernandez Coraza)
Informing the Public about Damage to Cusco’s Patrimony (Arnold Fernandez Coraza)

The marchers made a turn around the plaza but mostly carried out the protest on the Portal la Compañía by the wall of the Paraninfo where they put up information. This included images of the construction of the new hotel and the damages that are being caused by it. The people were indignant to learn that Inca terrace walls had been destroyed. They used to host growing flowers but now the beauty was gone simply so a hotel could be built. The protestors also shouted that the construction was not just, since zoning allowed for the construction of buildings of no more than two floors and this construction already went beyond that.

Protesting the New Sheraton Hotel (Arnold Fernandez Coraza)
Protesting the New Sheraton Hotel (Arnold Fernandez Coraza)

People who walked by this centrally placed set of covered arches on the entrance to the mains square from Avenida El Sol were impacted on seeing the images on the walls. The protest organizers told everyone about the impropriety of the construction in order to draw more people to their cause.

It was a cloudy day and, before too long, a light rain began to fall. That did not stop the protest. Despite the rain and the cold it brought, they continued with their protest.

Making Music to Protest (Arnold Fernandez Coraza)
Making Music to Protest (Arnold Fernandez Coraza)

The people who were explaining to passersby the motives of the protest were sad and indignant because of the destruction of terraces left for us by our ancestors, the Incas. They insisted they would continue with more protests until the municipality of Cusco takes action to stop the destructive construction.

The Wall of Protest and Public Information at the Paraninfo (Arnold Fernandez Coraza)
The Wall of Protest and Public Information at the Paraninfo (Arnold Fernandez Coraza)

 

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