Italy leads the safeguarding of Inca treasures: the HUACAS project between innovation and international cooperation
With the company HUACAS project, a team of researchers of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) collaborates with the main museums and archaeological sites of Peru, related to the Ministry of Culture of Peru to evaluate the effects of disastrous natural phenomena (such as earthquakes and floods related to El Niño) and human activities (occupation of sites, illegal excavations, removal of materials) on the Peruvian archaeological heritage, using cutting-edge approaches.
"The project", explains Maria Ilaria Pannaccione Apa, director of the Mission and researcher at INGV, “involves the assessment of the effects of natural events and human actions on the archaeological and historical heritage of Peru, particularly on the architectural structures present along the Andean coastal strip. These archaeological sites of global importance, recognized by UNESCO and the World Monuments Watch, are built with extremely vulnerable materials such as adobes, clay bricks, sand and straw. These materials are sensitive to rain, floods, strong winds, temperature changes and earthquakes. HUACAS integrates monitoring, vulnerability assessment and study of the effects of future destructive episodes through a multidisciplinary approach which includes advanced remote sensing techniques, climate modelling and artificial intelligence”.
The HUACAS project, supported by INGV and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, involves Italian researchers, Peruvian archaeologists and the University of Venice. Guido Ventura, researcher at INGV and scientific director of the project, explains: “We use remote sensing data to create digital models of archaeological sites. These models allow us to extract morphometric parameters that, combined with climate data, allow us to produce vulnerability maps. Thanks to artificial intelligence, we can develop forecast maps of potential damage over the next decades, providing key insights into protecting sites. The approach is applicable to any archaeological site and also to the assessment of damage to modern buildings compromised by natural events such as earthquakes, landslides or war actions”.
HUACAS represents a model of excellence in the field of international cooperation and scientific research, combining technological innovation and the protection of the world's cultural heritage.
Link to the study:
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/1/67
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/11/1848
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2024.2336765
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-023-01818-0
Link to evaluate:
National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV)
Ca 'Foscari University of Venice
Figure 1: Location and satellite image of Pachacamac Sanctuary, Peru
Figure 2: Collapse of the northern sector of the Temple of the Sun (Pachacamac Sanctuary) following the M 7.9 Ancash earthquake
Figure 3: Effects of wind erosion and insects on an adobe wall (clay brick, silt and straw)
Figure 4: Quantitative evaluation of the degree of preservation of the archaeological structures of the Pachacamac site obtained from a multiparametric morphometric analysis of the digital terrain model using AI techniques