Peru's Andes Mountains

Paris Hilton & Bikini Babes to Model at … Machu Picchu?

Every celeb these days wants to walk the Inca catwalk….

Yesterday, Spanish- and English-language media outlets gushed over the announcement that a high-profile photo shoot is scheduled to take place November 4 at Machu Picchu.

A dozen Maxim bikini models will parade around the former Inca citadel in high heels and thongs. Leading the stampede may be Paris Hilton, although she hasn’t signed any contracts yet to appear in Machu Picchu Bikini Peru 2008.

There will be fuzzy llamas and locals in ponchos and a Peruvian fashion photographer behind the viewfinder, to ensure that the entire process is autentico.

I am having a hard time getting excited about this.

Yes, Paris Hilton is a photogenic young woman and she’s probably sincere when she says she is “very interested” in visiting Cusco. I believe that “very,” coming from Paris.

It’s just that the last thing Machu Picchu needs is another mega-celebrity and an entourage of photographers stomping over its fragile terraces.

Paris Hilton + Maxim bikini babes + Machu Picchu + huge publicity = even more tourists flocking to the ancient site = bad news for archeological preservation.

In case the news didn’t reach you (and why should it have, given how little coverage the U.S. media gives to serious issues in contrast with the endless bandwidth it devotes to celebrity antics and the wardrobe choices of certain vice-presidential candidates?), the ruins of Machu Picchu are in trouble.

Built in the 14th century atop a remote mountain peak, Machu Picchu was never meant to accommodate large numbers of people. It most likely was a retreat for the Inca elite, who lived most of the year in the city of Cusco. Archaeologists estimate that 1,000 people, at most, lived there year-round.

Today, about 800,000 people visit the site per year – twice as many as did so in 1998, notes a July 2008 AP story (click here for “Too much tourism, development at Peru’s Machu Picchu may earn it endangered status”).

The influx of tourists is placing incredible strains on the rock staircases, terraces and structures themselves. Cracks have opened up in the building’s hand-carved rocks, making the site vulnerable to collapsing in a landslide. The situation is so dire UNESCO may add the cloud-shrouded ruins to its list of endangered World Heritage sites.

What has led to the onslaught of tourists? Partly it has been due to improvements in Peru’s tourism infrastructure as a whole, as well as the decline in terrorism. The recent boom is certainly a result of Machu Picchu’s designation in 2007 as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

And adding fire to the dynamite, if you will, is the rush of celebrities to visit Machu Picchu, with the media tracking their every step along the Inca Trail and back. Cameron Diaz, Woody Harrelson and other celebrities made Machu Picchu the new hot spot, as World Hum reported in December 2007:

Close followers of Celebrity Travel Watch will recall Cameron Diaz’s visit to Machu Picchu earlier this year, when her backpacker-commie-chic look—the shoulder bag pictured here says “Serve the People” in Chinese—was seen by some in Peru as too commie and not enough chic. (Turns out Maoist propaganda doesn’t always go over so well in a country that’s been terrorized by Maoist insurgents.) Well, now the Los Angeles Times is declaring Machu Picchu a “must-see for the jet set”—and not just celebs with Mao-inspired totes from China. Bill Gates made the trek this year, and in the last week or so Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson landed in Cuzco with plans to visit Machu Picchu, although they apparently scrapped the trip to the Incan ruins after “a run-in with several local journalists. Officials have taken steps to limit Inca Trail traffic.”

The reporter added jokingly:

What’s next? Limits on celebrity visitors?

Maybe that comment sounded absurd in 2007. Now with close to a million people a year stomping on the sacred site, the idea no longer is far-fetched. It may indeed be time to declare a moratorium on celebrity appearances at MP, at least until the local tourism industry agrees to limit visitors to the site.

Sorry, Paris. You may be “very interested” in Cusco and Machu Picchu, but Machu Picchu doesn’t need your star power.

Maybe you could take your bikini and model entourage to another Peruvian destination that needs the exposure as well as humanitarian aid–say, the earthquake-devastated region of Pisco and Chincha?

I am an American writer who lived in Lima for seven years (2007-2014), where I covered Andean traditions, melting glaciers and daily life in the capital for Miami Herald, MSNBC and Huffington Post. I now live and work in northern Florida where I champion climate change advocacy and compassionate, affordable eldercare.

8 Comments

  • Rachel in Peru

    The Peruvian government shouldn’t concern themselves so much with superficial bragging rights.

    MP is a jet set destination, b/c it has become so expensive to visit. 60% of Peru’s tourists are comprised of Mochileros or Backpackers. A visit to MP puts a big dent in their wallets.

    I’m not excited about Hilton and Maxim’s visit either. I think it only contributes to government greed, high tourist prices and more importantly ignores the more serious social issues at hand.

    My husband has a Peruvian friend who has been visiting Machu Picchu for over 20 years and he prefers the MP of the terrorists’ days, because it was “as if you had the entire place to yourself.”

    It’s amazing that the government claims they are going to run out of funding to maintain the sanctuary, yet they are encouraging outrageous numbers of visitors that overwhelms and compromises the integrity of the ruins.

  • Barb

    Hi, Rachel. Has the government claimed it is going to run out of funding to maintain Machu Picchu? If so, that is such a load a crock! How can they get away with such a lie when admission prices have been hiked so high?

    I had to smile (somewhat bitterly) at the comments made by your husband’s friend that MP was better during the Shining Path years. How ironic. He may be right, as far as the site’s being less crowded.

    I visited MP for the first time in 1995, and it wasn’t overrun with tourists then. We happened to arrive on a date when there was a full moon, so we left the park at 5 (as mandated), waited several hours, and then paid a small fee to be admitted to again to tour the ruins at night.

    There were about 10 tourists total wandering around Machu Picchu that night. We were outnumbered by the llamas, actually. With the full moon overhead casting deep shadows among the ruins, it was magical. I doubt that you could have that experience today without paying some outrageous fee to stay at the on-site hotel.

  • Barb

    Hey, Chuck — you could do Machu Picchu a big favor by letting Paris Hilton’s agent know about the bichos. That might be enough to scare her off — bug bites on the Hilton bootie = a liability for her.

  • Rachel in Peru

    Hi Barb, I believe that Living in Peru had published the story about the government running out of money to maintain the MP Sanctuary.

    I agree it is a load of something.

    Last year there was a piece on one of the Peruvian news programs that compared entrance prices to the “New Wonders” sites and MP came in as the most expensive.

    Not only is it expensive, but for a foreigner traveling independently the ticket purchasing process can be quite confusing.

    The government and the media are going to make the Hilton/Maxim visit a bigger deal than it should be, unfortunately.

    If it wasn’t for the beauty and mysticism of Cuzco and MP, my trip would not have been worth the expensive price tag.

  • Ward Welvaert

    I like Chuck’s thinking. Gringas in bikinis at MP could be like Thanksgiving dinner for the skeeters there… (forgive my redneck ways)

    In all seriousness I agree the popularity of Machupicchu is something to be handled with care. There are definitely challenges ranging from the condition of the site to the poverty of the immediate area and the unabashed development here in Cusco.

    I agree with Rachel as well. I once read in a Lima newspaper that “Peru is a poor country because Peruvians act like poor people”. When the government sees any money, they’ll take it – even though what they give up in return may be much more valuable than money.

    Ward
    Cusco

  • Barb

    Hey, Ward in Cusco, thanks for checking in. You’ll be at ground zero if Miss Hilton decides to do the shoot, which means you’ll have the option to play paparazzi and get some good shoots of those skeeter-bit Paris buns. ($$$ for you!)

    It is criminal how the government (both fed and local) withholds vital funding for the people. I have heard some horror stories from people who’ve dealt with various city mayors in the last two years on humanitarian issues.

    One mayor in southern Peru was approached by an international aid agency to bring medical care to his town after the Aug ’07 earthquake. The mayor told my friend (who is an administrator for the NGO) that in order to have his permission to “work” in the area, the NGO would have to pay for the mayor and his wife to fly to Spain for a two-week vacation. Seriously.

    The guy refused to budge until he was given the stupid trip. Meanwhile, his constituents were dying in the street. Disgusting.