Cultural heritage tourism on Peru's north coast

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to focus on the impact of cultural heritage tourism in North Coast Peru on local communities and artists, in particular, on efforts to use the burgeoning interest in pre-Inca cultures to involve local communities in the development of tourism. A number of studies have explored the connection between archaeology, cultural heritage, and tourist development in Peru and Latin America. While North Coast Peru is an area rich in pre-Inca cultural heritage, many residents near the impressive archaeological sites are in need of an improved quality of life and more economic development opportunities. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on ethnographic fieldwork, including interviews with site directors, local development personnel, government officials, and artists as well as observations of relevant tourist-related sites and events, conducted by the author during 2011-2012 in the North Coast cities of Trujillo and Chiclayo. Findings – The so-called “new archaeology” plays an important role in the region by using archaeology, in a sense, as a pretext for community development, while exploiting the historical ties between ancient and modern cultures in the area has provided economic development opportunities for local residents. Projects such as those developed in Chotuna, the Pomac Zone, and Túcume provide opportunities for community participation and development at multiple levels. Further, the historical ties posited between ancient and modern local communities in the area have led to successful projects that recuperate artisan techniques and indigenous crops. Originality/value – As the North Coast undergoes a larger process of re-imagining its historical past and cultural heritage, a focus is needed on efforts to involve local communities in the development of tourism in ways that empower local people and have the potential to lift them out of poverty. In part, then, this project is intended to connect the growing concern for a more nuanced understanding of the non-Quechua [Inca] indigenous cultural heritage of Peru with cultural heritage preservation and tourism studies.