British Tourist Arrested for Posing Nude at Machu Picchu
Two tourists, a British man and Frenchman, were arrested at Machu Picchu last week (Thursday, 3rd March 2016) for posing naked for photos within the famous 15th century citadel.
The two were spotted by local guards and quickly detained. They were later remanded in court and charged with moral misconduct. The exact sentence is not clear, but we suspect a hefty fine was levied!
The intrepid travellers were later named as Adam Burton, 23, from Britain and Frenchman Eric Xavier Mariec, 28.
The police released the pictures from the travellers’ mobile phones, which show the two men posing at one of the many amazing viewpoints at Machu Picchu.
By realising pictures the police hope to highlight that they take the issue very seriously and will arrest and charge perpetrators.
The issue of tourists streaking and posing nude for pictures at Machu Picchu has increased significantly over the past 5 years. In 2014, the Peruvian government took further measures to increase surveillance within the citadel, after the Ministry of Culture came under fire for lack of security.
In 2013, a 30-year-old New Zealander and 18-year-old Australian were detained by guards at Machu Picchu for baring their bums at the sacred Citadel.
The pair were asked to delete the pictures, but with todays speedy social media, the pictures had already gone viral on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
One year later a Youtube video was released which showed a nude tourist couple running through the Citadel in hot pursuit by guards.
The lesson: unless you want to be removed from the Citadel, thus rendering your trip and experience void, let alone be arrested and fined, we recommend that tourists avoid the urge to go nude at Machu Picchu, and instead respect the rules and sacredness of the famous site!
About the Author Mark Whitman
Hi, I'm Mark! Welcome to Machu Picchu Trek Guide - the Web's No.1 Trekking Guide to Machu Picchu. I started this guide to help trekkers like yourself get the information you need to plan for an awesome Machu Picchu trekking experience. Over 1 million people have used Machu Picchu Trek to plan their adventure to the famous Incan ruins. We hope we can help you too! If you have any questions don't hesitate to drop a comment below! Happy Trekking!
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