Ecuador: The theft of valuable archeological pieces at the Ingapirca museum in 1996; a demonstration on or around 20 January 1999 demanding the investigation of the theft and the disappearance of foreign aid money; whether a priest fled to the United States as a consequence of his protests relating to the theft or the foreign aid money

The only reference to a significant theft at the Museum of Ingapirca that was found, refers to a robbery that took place in 1994. According to the news article, unidentified persons took a number of archeological pieces from the Inca and Cañari cultures, as well as audiovisual equipment from the museum's office (Diario Hoy 13 Dec. 1994). Museum spokespersons stated that the theft would have occurred in the early hours of Sunday, 11 December 1994 (ibid.). The pieces included a shelf of Inca artifacts, 12 copper pieces, a shelf of weapons, a hook, a shelf of gold pieces, remnants of a crown, a gold plate, a bronze ear of corn, a silver feather, gold ear pieces and a gold nose piece (ibid.).

A news article published a few days later states that no trace of the stolen pieces had been found, and adds that residents were surprised and angry at the theft (ibid. 16 Dec. 1994). The article states that Galo Ordoñez, then-president of the Ingapirca Castle Commission (Comision del Castillo de Ingapirca; see ECU41958.E of 9 Sept. 2003), alleged that the thieves must have known the museum and the collection, as they quickly took the most valuable items (ibid.). The thieves, who broke into the museum through a window, may have taken less than an hour to complete the robbery (ibid.). Most museum guards work during the day doubling as site guides; the only guard on duty the night of the theft claimed to have heard or seen nothing unusual (ibid.).

References to the disappearance of foreign aid money or to a particular priest in relation to Ingapirca for the requested period, or to demonstrations at or near Ingapirca in January 1999, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

A reference found on financial assistance for Ingapirca during the period in question refers to money provided by the Central Bank of Ecuador (Banco Central de Ecuador, BCE). After torrential rains in 1993, there was fear that the slope on which Ingapirca sits could collapse, and a "rescue" (rescate) effort was undertaken (Diario Hoy 8 Mar. 1997). The BCE financed the rescue of Ingapirca in two phases, adding up to a total of 600 million sucres: one phase was concluded in 1995, while the second phase was ongoing in 1997 (ibid.). At that time, the second phase was reported to be the last archeological project the BCE would finance, and Ingapirca was expected to become financially self-sufficient (ibid.).

However, in 1998 Mario Garzon, one of the archeologists overseeing projects at Ingapirca, was quoted as saying that structural repairs at the archeological site were being undertaken by the BCE, while the museum's expansion was self-financed (ibid. 20 June 1998). Architectural designs for the museum were reportedly undergoing review by the University of Azuay and the Ingapirca Castle Commission (ibid.). Garzon was also quoted as saying that the upcoming expansion of the museum would allow the classification and selection of some 9,000 archeological pieces in its inventories (ibid.). The report also refers to the museum as having been open for ten years by 1998 (ibid.).

An August 1999 article refers to the BCE as being responsible for the ongoing upkeep of the Ingapirca archeological site (ibid. 23 Aug. 1999). The report quotes Bolivar Quezada, director of the Museum of Ingapirca, as saying that six months of continuous rain had saturated the ground, resulting in damage to certain structures (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Diario Hoy [Quito]. 23 August 1999. "Las ruinas de Ingapirca corren riesgo de perderse." [Accessed 8 Sept. 2003]
_____. 20 June 1998. "Al rescate de Ingapirca." [Accessed 8 Sept. 2003]
_____. 8 March 1997. Susana Klinkicht. "Ingapirca." [Accessed 8 Sept. 2003]
_____. 16 December 1994. "Ningun rastro de las piezas sustraidas." [Accessed 8 Sept. 2003]
_____. 13 December 1994. "Roban en Ingapirca valiosisimas piezas." [Accessed 8 Sept. 2003]

Additional Sources Consulted

Andean Chronology [Lima]. 1996-1999

IRB Databases

Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 1996-1999

Latin American Regional Reports: Andean Group Report [London]. 1996-1999

Internet sites and search engines, including:

Diario Hoy [Quito]

Ecuanet

El Mercurio [Cuenca]

Explored.com [Quito]

Government of Ecuador

Llacta, Quito