How Scientists and Citizens Are Protecting Ancient Ruins in Peru | National Geographic

(Slow guitar music) In Peru, it is very common that archaeological sites are surrounded by local communities, villages, towns, where people live usually in the most traditional ways. Pachacamac is a huge archaeological site south of Lima. Around it, we have three million people living in shanty towns, in one of the poorest sectors of Lima, always threatening to encroach and jump into the site. We need to engage with them and interact with them in ways in which they feel that this site is not subtracting from them but is adding to their lives.

Local communities can and should be the first line of defense for these archaeological sites that are not only part of their heritage but, if properly developed, like here, they can become sources of income for them. (Soft piano music) SPI stands for Sustainable Preservation Initiative. This is an initiative that started with archaeologists interested in developing better means to protect cultural heritage. We have now six programs around Peru in different communities in the highlands and the coast.

What we do is we have engaged women that live around the sites. These women are some of the most traditional people living in the coast of Peru. (Woman giggling) (Upbeat music)