Chan Chan Archaeological Zone

• Identity, social cohesion, changes in local population and community
• Illegal activities (illegal occupation of the property)
• Management systems/ management plan
• Water (rising water table levels, rain/water table)
• Continuous deterioration of earthen architecture structures and decorated surfaces from lack of conservation and maintenance practices
• Unregulated farming activities
• Delay in implementing protective measures (legislation and regulations already passed by the National Authorities)
• Development pressures

• Fragile state of conservation of earthen structures and decorated surfaces due to extreme climatic conditions (El Niño phenomenon) and other environmental factors
• Inadequate management system in place
• Insufficient capacity and resources for the implementation of conservation measures
• Increase in the levels of the phreatic water table

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4647

 Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4647

On 5 February 2020, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/366/documents/, and responds to previous Decisions of the Committee and the adopted corrective measures, as follows:

• The updated version of the Master Plan for the Conservation and Management of the Chan Chan Archaeological Complex (2015-2025) is still pending approval by the Ministry of Culture. A Bill is being drafted to endorse the approval; however, it is linked to the successful implementation of Law No. 28261, which would give the Master Plan the status of law and which has been pending since 2004;
• The Ministry of Culture continues to coordinate with the competent authorities of the Provincial Municipality of Trujillo (MPT) regarding the incorporation of the buffer zone and its regulations into the Metropolitan Urban Development Plan of Trujillo. A working meeting was held in January 2020, in which the MPT confirmed its agreement with the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation to prepare the Metropolitan Urban Development Plan and the Territorial Conditioning Plan, and a workshop with representatives of the municipalities located in the buffer zone on the cultural values of the property was scheduled for February 2020. Contact and coordination will be maintained between the MPT and the Ministry of Culture in the process of preparing the Urban Development Plan, which will be the responsibility of this local government body;
• Following the advice of a ministerial working group, an amendment to Law No. 28261 has been proposed to allow for the expropriation of illegally-occupied archaeological areas. The Ministry of Culture is still in the process of reviewing the data on the property’s polygon of intangibility. This activity represents the stage prior to the verification and georeferencing of the illegally-occupied areas;
• In 2019, Public Investment Projects (PIP), totalling an amount of 1.6 million Peruvian soles (USD 456,000), were executed with regard to archaeological research, architectural conservation and public use. This represents a significant decrease compared to the previous year;
• Several improvements to the site museum were undertaken regarding maintenance, security, and improving the visitor experience;
• The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Transport and Communications are continuing their work on finding a solution for improving the existing infrastructure or rerouting the Trujillo ring road without negatively affecting the property. The road currently passes through the property and its buffer zone.

Following a consultation with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS on 16 December 2020, the State Party submitted, on 8 February and 19 May 2021, a supplementary report and additional information, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/366/documents/ and addresses the following matters:

• The updated Master Plan for the Conservation and Management of the Chan Chan Archaeological Complex (2021-2031) approved by the Ministry of Culture by Ministerial Resolution Number 000130-2021/DM/MC on 10 May 2021;
• Following a joint workshop held from 20 - to 22 January 2021 between representatives of the municipalities concerned (Trujillo, Huanchaco and Victor Larco Herrera), the Plan of Territorial Development of Trujillo (PLANDET), the Directorate of Culture of the province of La Libertad and the National Directorate of World Heritage Properties, a work plan was established for the “Diagnosis of the Planning of the Buffer Zone of Chan Chan in the City of Trujillo”. This process should be concluded in October 2021 with an agreed regulation proposal for the buffer zone;
• A broad consultation took place on 6 January 2021 on the issue of illegal occupation in the buffer zone and the required modification of Law No. 28261. It was concluded that a first step would involve the precise identification of the occupied areas, the type of occupants and their temporality. This first step should be concluded in the first half of 2021;
• The management of the property is financed by a yearly allocation of funds. The execution of projects depends mainly on external financing. In 2020, four projects were executed amounting to 2.6 million Peruvian soles. For 2021, an amount of 0.6 million has been confirmed so far;
• Regarding the road project “Autopista del Sol”, alternatives are being identified and it is agreed that a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) will be undertaken. The Ministry of Culture has communicated to the relevant state authority that in the meantime no land should be transferred in favour of the road project. The HIA and chosen alternative will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

The State Party should be commended for its continued commitment to the conservation of the property and for its sustained efforts to implement the current Master Plan and the corrective measures identified by the Committee with the view to achieving the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), including public use, risk management and museum development activities, as well as control of illegal occupation, encroachment, and urban pressure.

It should be recognized that numerous activities, related to cleaning, awareness raising and communication, were implemented in 2019, all in collaboration with local communities, even though the Public Use Plan has not yet been approved. The Special Project of the Chan Chan Archaeological Complex (PECACH), through the Pan American Conservation Centre for Earthen Heritage Sites (PCCEHS), continued its activities related to scientific research of materials and construction techniques, the monitoring of environmental and state of conservation conditions using, for example, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) and laser scanners.

While it is laudable that the State Party has maintained such a high level of activities (e.g. the involvement of 4,235 persons in awareness raising activities) and that it has reiterated its commitment to guarantee the sustainable budgetary allocation for the execution of the Master Plan, it is worrying that the budgetary allocations for Public Investment Projects fluctuate from year to year. The amount allocated in 2018 was 8.6 million soles, in 2019 1.6 million, in 2020 2.6 million and for 2021 an amount of 0.6 million is foreseen. 

It is reiterated that extreme caution should be taken in the improvement of the so-called “Autopista del Sol”. The assurance by the State Party that a HIA will be undertaken is welcomed.

The December 2020 consultation between the State Party, the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS was highly constructive. Following this meeting, the State Party submitted a Supplementary Report that for the first time in years sets out the strategy and timeframes for the resolution of some of the most pressing key issues that the Committee identified in its Decision 41 COM 7A.26, namely:

• Adoption of the updated Master Plan;
• Delimitation and regulation of the buffer zone, in coordination with the management office of the Trujillo Provincial Municipality’s Urban Development Plan;
• Approval of regulations for Law No. 28261 regarding illegal occupations.

These are essential components of the programme of corrective measures that have been awaiting implementation for many years. Without them, the DSOCR cannot be achieved. All three items are linked and together have impeded the development of a seamless management structure.

The final adoption and approval of the Master Plan for a ten-year period (2021-2031) in May 2021 should be welcomed by the Committee as this is an essential aspect of the DSOCR, as well as a proposal for the regulations of the buffer zone which is expected to be agreed upon in October 2021. It is understood that the matter of illegal occupation requires legal processes including the modification or repeal of Law No. 28261. Nevertheless, this matter cannot be separated from the other issues and it is hoped that the State Party will set out a strategy and timeframe once the precise identification of illegally occupied areas is concluded. 

Without the resolution of these two pending issues, the Committee will not be able to assess to what extent the DSOCR, as defined in its Decision 36 COM 7A.34, has been reached. It is therefore recommended that the Committee retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.