{"id":2358,"date":"2025-12-15T06:15:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.machupicchu-ciudadela.com\/the-facts\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T11:05:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T09:05:33","slug":"the-facts","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.machupicchu-ciudadela.com\/en\/the-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"The facts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The facts<\/h4><\/div><\/div>\n\n

Beneath the Temple of the Three Doors<\/h1><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\uf518<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n

The book<\/h4><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The story in video<\/h4><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Contact us<\/h4><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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After submitting his Final Research Report to the Peruvian Ministry of Culture (approved on September 5, 2012, by a new Directorial Resolution), Thierry Jamin is now preparing for the next stage: the opening of the entrance beneath the Temple of the Three Doors, blocked by the Incas more than five centuries ago. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The project to open the entrance under the Temple of the Three Gates<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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On May 22, 2012, Thierry Jamin officially submitted a request to the Peruvian authorities for authorization allowing<\/span><\/strong> his team to open the door. This new research project was then called Proyecto de Investigaci\u00f3n Arqueol\u00f3gica (con excavaci\u00f3n), con Posible Exhumaci\u00f3n de Material Funerario de Alto Rango. Apertura de vano de acceso tapiado del Recinto 02, Sector II, Sub Sector E, Unidad 03, del Sector Urbano de la ciudadela inka de Machu Picchu.<\/em> The reward would be the discovery of what was likely to be an extraordinary archaeological treasure and new insights into the forgotten history of the Incas. <\/p>\n

Led by Thierry Jamin (Executive Director) and Hilbert Sumire (Archaeological Project Director), Operation Machu Picchu 2012<\/em> benefited from internationally recognized professional expertise, such as that of Peruvian architect and conservator Victor Pimentel Gurmendi, Conservation Director for the project. In 1964, Mr. Pimentel participated on behalf of the Peruvian government in the drafting of the Venice Charter<\/span><\/em><\/strong>, the global reference document for the protection and conservation of historic monuments. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\"Door<\/span><\/div>

Door opening project<\/h4><\/div>\n
See<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The Venice Charter signed by Victor Pimentel<\/h4><\/div>\n
See<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Given the significant excitement generated throughout Peru by these fabulous discoveries beneath the Temple of the Three Doors and the heated controversy sparked by local officials from the Ministry of Culture (Directorate of the National Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu and Regional Directorate of Culture \u2013 Cusco), Internet users will find below the facts as they unfolded between 2012 and 2014. All information is verifiable. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Against all odds, the most difficult times are just beginning...<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Between June and October 2012, the Machu Picchu 2012 project underwent various assessments by the relevant departments of the Ministry of Culture in Lima. During these assessments, the project was finally forwarded to the management of the Machu Picchu National Historical Sanctuary for an opinion on its viability. <\/p>\n

On July 19, 2012, in her report No. 189 \u2013 2012 \u2013 DPANM \u2013 DRC \u2013 CUS \/ MC<\/span><\/strong>, archaeologist Piedad Champi Monterroso wrote an extremely negative report on the famous project: the entrance discovered by David Crespy was nothing more than a retaining wall; the Inkarri Institute \u2013 Cusco was a \u201cforeign organization\u201d; archaeologist Hilbert Sumire was merely a \u201ctourist guide\u201d; and Thierry Jamin's team was a group of \u201ctreasure hunters,\u201d etc.<\/p>\n

So much for the \u201cscientific\u201d evaluation of the project...<\/p>\n

For his part, anthropologist Fernando Astete Victoria, director of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary, sent a letter to anthropologist David Ugarte Vega Centeno, Regional Director of Culture for the department of Cusco, in which he stated that the team from the Inkarri Institute \u2013 Cusco had never coordinated with him to carry out this research. However, he was present during the electromagnetic surveys carried out on the site in April 2012 and appeared very satisfied with the results of the ground-penetrating radar, as shown in the photographs below: <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\"Technical<\/span><\/div>

Piedad Champi's \u201creport\u201d<\/h4>

July 19, 2012<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

See<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"The<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>
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In the same letter, Mr. Astete states that \u201cthe site in question (the wall that had been blocked up) was dismantled and then rebuilt several years earlier, although he was unable to specify when.\u201d However, to date, the anthropologist has not provided any material evidence, photographic documentation, or reports to support this claim. <\/p>\n

The opening of the entrance under the Temple of the Three Doors is denied<\/h3>\n

Based on this \u201cscientific evidence,\u201d officials from the Ministry of Culture sent Thierry Jamin and Hilbert Sumire their final response a few weeks later: on November 5, 2012, through its Directorial Resolution No. 826 \u2013 2012 \u2013 DGPC \u2013 VMPCIC \/ MC<\/span><\/strong>, the research permit was denied to the Inkarri Institute team.<\/p>\n

On December 4, 2012, Thierry Jamin and Daniel Merino officially submitted an appeal<\/span><\/strong> to the Ministry of Culture, requesting that the Peruvian authorities reconsider their decision and re-examine their research project on the basis of more objective technical criteria.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\"Directory<\/span><\/div>

Directorial Resolution of the Ministry of Culture<\/h4>

November 5, 2012<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

See<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Appeal<\/span><\/div>

Appeal filed by the Inkarri Cusco Institute<\/h4>

December 4, 2012<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

See<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Then, in early 2013, the media picked up on the story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Read more: The media picks up on the story<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"The Temple of the Three Gates - Machu Picchu","_seopress_titles_desc":"Thierry Jamin is preparing for the next step: opening the entrance beneath the Temple of the Three Doors, which was blocked by the Incas.","_seopress_robots_index":"","iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2358","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.machupicchu-ciudadela.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.machupicchu-ciudadela.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.machupicchu-ciudadela.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.machupicchu-ciudadela.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.machupicchu-ciudadela.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.machupicchu-ciudadela.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2358\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.machupicchu-ciudadela.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}