The person in charge to take care of the
archaeological ruins of Chan Chan, Maria Mendoza, was considered a heroine by
the UNESCO, given its ongoing efforts to protect this monument heritage.
Maria Mercedes and other 80 women works at
Chan Chan, monitoring the damages left by the passage of time and the weather at
the monument. Each one loads in a wheelbarrow, buckets of mud on a detailed
work that is repeated every day.
With an inexhaustible patience, Maria Mercedes
divides her time: in the morning she takes care of this architectural complex,
and in the evening turns into a great housewife.
She grew up next to her mother, who guided her
steps and taught her to love the history and traditions of her homeland, to
respect the legacy of the ancient Peruvians. Education that puts in practice
until today.
The German journalists Ruth Wolter and Astrid
Piethan travelled from Germany to Chan Chan as part of the project "Heroes
of the Heritage" promoted by the UNESCO in Germany, exclusively to
interview María.
In the German city of Bonn, the headquarters of
the UNESCO, an exhibition will be held soon with all the protagonists
worldwide, and Maria Mercedes is the only representative of all Latin America.
Learn more of the north of Peru and its
architectural riches, on the following link: Moche Culture.
