Peru

Established in 2014, WMF Peru serves as a local representative for WMF, assisting with project management and outreach.

WMF first became involved in Peru in 1997, when a call to develop a conservation and urban rehabilitation plan for a twelve-block stretch in Cusco's Historic Center. Three years later, a group of local personalities led by Marcela Temple founded the Committee for Conservation of Peru’s Heritage Sites, to support WMF’s growing involvement there. Its inaugural project at Huaca de la Luna was supported by a $1 million grant through the Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve Our Heritage. In 2014, the Committee became WMF Peru, establishing WMF’s affiliate office in the region.

Over the years, WMF Peru has carried out important recovery projects for historical and archaeological monuments including the Huaca de la Luna Archaeological Site, the San Pedro Apóstol de Andahuaylillas Church, and the Chankillo Archaeoastronomical Complex. Through these projects, the affiliate has established partnerships with public, private, and academic sectors and the surrounding communities of each project where it works, especially those in rural areas.

On the occasion of WMF’s 55th anniversary in 2020, WMF Peru initiated two site-recovery projects related to commemorative celebrations of Peru’s Bicentennial of Independence. These projects include the restoration of the facade of the MALI Museum, with a grant from the European Union, and the landscape design and renovation proposal of the Parque de la Exposición, made possible by real estate company Inversiones Centenario’s donation and the upcoming execution by INVERMET, the investment fund of the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima.

In 2021, WMF Peru received a grant from the U.S. Department of State through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation to work in Cerro Sechín to restore its stone slabs and engage with the communities in Casma. More recently, WMF provided funds from its Crisis Response Program to recover the church and tower in La Jalca Grande, which suffered the consequences of a devastating earthquake.

Today, WMF Peru continues to support cultural heritage projects facing challenges related to climate change, imbalanced tourism, underrepresented heritage, and post-crisis recovery.

WMF Peru Board of Directors

• Juan Carlos Verme Giannoni, President
• Martha Zegarra Portella, Vice President
• Annick Benavides Workman
• Juan Pablo de la Puente Brunke
• Xavier de Romaña Benson
• Elizabeth Dulanto de Miró Quesada
• Claudia Ganoza Temple
• Marcela Ganoza Temple
• Manuel Ugarte Maggiolo