Overview
- Authorities carried out an extrajudicial operation in the Santa María Alta sector between Huanchaco and La Esperanza to restore state control of the site.
- The area had been illegally used for crops and makeshift structures within the intangible zone of the UNESCO-listed complex.
- Three front loaders, three dump trucks and 50 support workers removed plantings and irregular constructions under on-site oversight.
- Archaeologists and legal staff from the La Libertad cultural office supervised to protect the archaeological integrity, and the operation concluded without incidents as some neighbors voluntarily cleared materials.
- Separately, conservation work led to the opening of the Las Ardillas sector in the Nik An complex, expanding public access to restored areas.