Peruvian authorities said a person caused irreversible damage to a historical six-ton Inca stone in Cusco’s historic center early Tuesday morning, February 18. According to the Peruvian Ministry of Culture, the suspect carved fragments out of the 12-Angled Stone, a marvel of Inca architecture and a tourist attraction, in six visible places. The 12-Angle Stone lines the highly trafficked Hutan Rumiyoq Street, near the Andean city’s Plaza de Armas.The alleged perpetrator is believed to be a Peruvian national. Authorities said he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the incident and in an altered state, and has since been arrested. Named for its polygonal shape consisting of 12 distinct angles, making it appear more like a puzzle piece than a geologic object, the stone supported the palace of the sixth Inca ruler, Inca Roca. Roca reigned from 1350–1380 and led efforts to expand the empire nearly two centuries before the Spanish conquest.Presently, the diorite block is part of the foundation of the Archbishop’s Palace of Cusco and Museum of Religious Art. Hutan Rumiyoq Street, where the 12-Angled Stone is located (photo by Valentina Di Liscia/Hyperallergic)The 12-Angled Stone is part of an Inca architectural tradition of sturdy exterior walls that utilize precisely interlinking multi-ton blocks, modified only by other rocks or bronze instruments to fit perfectly together in an inward-sloping wall. Jorge Moya Coháguila, director of Cusco’s Decentralized Directorate of Culture, said in a press release that the agency will ask the prosecutor’s office to sentence the suspect to up to six years in prison, the maximum possible for an “attack on culture.” Local cultural authorities said in a press release that to prevent future damage to heritage sites in the city’s historic center, they will form a working group of representatives from the National Police of Peru, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and Cusco officials to create an action plan. In a press statement, Peru’s Ministry of Culture condemned the act of vandalism.“We call on all citizens to join our cause in defense of these valuable assets and to denounce any act that threatens our cultural heritage,” the statement said, calling the 12-Angled Stone “ a “cultural and historical asset of enormous value to [Peru].”