Machu Picchu is the most visited tourist site in Peru by national and foreign tourists. This time an American tourist decided to take pictures of himself completely naked in that city, but the authorities managed to intercept him.
Ian Kyohywuk Evans (33) was arrested by the Peruvian National Police (PNP) around 1:20 p.m. on Saturday, October 22, in the Callancas sector.
He was quickly taken to the police station of Machu Picchu, and the corresponding investigation was carried out, which in this case would be for the alleged offenses to public decency in the modality of obscene exhibitions and publications.
It was the conservative guard of the Ministry of Culture, Dany Cansaya (30), who was informed by tourist guides about the fact in the Callancas sector, near the detour to the Inca Bridge.
The interception
Once Ian Kyohywuk was intercepted, he got dressed and, at the police station, accepted having photographed himself completely naked inside the archaeological park, which is also considered sacred by the population. Twelve photos were found on his mobile device.
Finally, the Public Prosecutor’s Office will be in charge of the respective investigation.
More cases of nudism in Cusco
This is not the first time that foreigners perform nudity in Cusco. In fact, in 2019, two Austrian tourists, Berger Gunter and Simon Untersberger were expelled from the Machu Picchu Archaeological Park. At the time, those involved were taken to the local police station.
By 2020, another event that set off alarms in Cusco occurred on February 27, where authorities reported that a couple ran completely naked around the archeological center at an altitude of 2,430 meters, fleeing from park rangers who were unable to catch up with them.
People recorded the episode and applauded the attitude of the individuals. The video quickly spread on the internet.
Another recent case is that of another tourist couple who decided to bathe in the pools near the Plaza Mayor of Cusco. On the same dates, another naked couple was captured embracing a sphinx of an Andean woman in the Santa Teresa square.
Unlike the previous cases, this last couple could not be intercepted because the cameras of the place would have suffered a problem with an internet connection, which became an impediment to proceeding with the search and respective arrest.
“In those days, fiber optics had a problem, and some cameras were inoperative. Although we went to the place when we found out about it, we could not find the couple for their intervention”, said at the time the manager of Economic Development and Municipal Services of Cusco, Juan Galdós for Correo.
Is it a crime to be naked in Peru?
According to Peruvian law, walking naked in the street is an offense against modesty and, in addition, can be considered a disturbance and escalate to a crime against public order.