Belén Barnechea speaks out after “viceregal” wedding scandal: “The parade has been misrepresented”

Belén Barnechea never imagined that her dream wedding with Martin Cabello de los Cobos would end up being the target of criticism on social networks. After saying 'I do' in the city of Trujillo, the newlywed couple paraded through the streets to celebrate their union. However, the characters that could be observed on the way raised the controversy, the same one that has been pursuing them since that night of Saturday, April 9.

The daughter of Alfredo Barnechea, a former presidential candidate during the 2016 General Election, shared images of the questioned parade, where indigenous women are seen sitting on the ground, in reverence, with their heads down. There are also men with bare breasts and covered with skirts and loincloths, tied with ropes and escorted by an authority from ancient Peru.

At another time, the couple and their guests, all dressed in etiquette, are seen enjoying the party in a house with colonial architecture; while on the balconies, admiring from afar, some girls simulate forced labor tied in the columns of the place.

The reaction of the Internet was not long in coming. Through social networks, users lashed out at the couple and regretted that a “viceregal” theme was chosen in the middle of 2022. Others were tougher and called the couple husband “retrograde”, “classist” and “macho”. Given this, Belén Barnechea decided to break her silence.

BELÉN BARNECHEA DEFENDS HER WEDDING

Through her Instagram account, a platform where she shared the images that circulate around the world today, the renowned baker shared: “With a huge pity I am forced to write this text. As many of you know, a week ago my marriage celebrations took place in Trujillo, my mother's hometown. We chose to get married in Peru and I felt so proud to be able to show my friends how wonderful and culturally rich our country is.”

“We are a country full of diversity, different cultures and traditions that have been able to live together and unite in a syncretism that is unique in the world. On every day of celebration we teach with love and respect something about Peru, about our culture, about my culture. I have seen that in some media they have referred to the Moche representation we did as slaves, indigenous women, the viceroyalty. What we did was represent the Moche culture, which is native to La Libertad and developed between the second and seventh centuries,” he added.

“He never crossed paths with the Incas or the Spaniards in time and that my maternal grandparents dedicated their lives and efforts to value it for the world. My grandfather Guillermo Ganoza, restored Chan Chan and organized the first archaeological exploration of Huaca del Sol y la Luna,” he said.

After that, Belén Barnechea assured that everything was a misunderstanding and that, in reality, she never wanted to represent slavery in the colonial era. “What was shown in the parade was a recreation of the Dance of the Rope, an ancestral dance that does not represent slaves but is a ritual representation of warriors, the seated women made a representation of the work and the way of cultivating the land at the time.”

HE CLAIMS IT'S A “SMOKESCREEN”

In her statement, the now wife of Martín Cabello de los Cobos indicated that criticism of their wedding not only stems from indignation, but also from a political objective. “We are very sad that the moche recreation we did in the parade has been distorted in this way and that the situation is being politicized. It hurts us very much that it is being used as a smokescreen to cover up the serious structural problems and strikes in which it is today, our beloved country,” he added.

“If the same force were used these days to denounce the situations of injustice that we live in every day, our country would be a better Peru . That's why I think we should leave bad intentions behind and celebrate love, culture, and diversity,” he concluded in his lengthy message.

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