The Peruvian authorities have restored an indigenous statue with a huge erect member after outraged locals destroyed the installation last month.
Not only that, but they have also installed a smaller companion alongside it and plan to gift the two a female companion for Valentine’s Day.
The original three-metre- (10-foot-) high fibreglass statue was erected in the district of Moche in the western Peruvian province of Trujillo for the New Year.
The inauguration of the phallic statue, known as a ‘huaco’, surprised many Peruvians and quickly became a tourist attraction. However, many locals believed it was tacky and inappropriate.
‘Huaco’ is the Peruvian term for earthen vessels and other pottery works by the indigenous peoples of the Americas. They are often found in ancient burial sites and in the ruins of temples.
Moche District mayor Cesar Arturo Fernandez said the statue was donated by a local plastics artist who wanted to contribute something cultural to the area.
He was quoted as saying: “A plastics artist asked for permission to install it there. We have always promoted two types of huaco: huaco busts and erotic ones.
“In our culture, they do not represent eroticism, but reverence to God. In addition, sexuality must be seen as something normal and natural.”
Just days after being unveiled and reported on by international media, three men vandalised the new monument with a knife.
Describing the suspects as “three hooded men”, Mayor Fernandez said they attacked the statue’s erect member with a knife.
The statue was then burned to the ground on 24th January after a group of men held up the night security guard at gunpoint, according to the news site Infobae.
However, not only has the statue been remade and installed at the site, it is now accompanied by a second, smaller monument.
And the local authorities are not done there; Mayor Fernandez announced that a third female statue will be unveiled for Valentine’s Day.
The Moche civilisation lived in northern Peru and had its capital near present-day Moche between 100 and 700 AD.
Along with the Nazca culture, the Moche developed a strong tradition of ceramic work and creating figurines, as well carrying out engineering feats such as building irrigation canals and dams to allow them to expand their agricultural capabilities on a large scale.
