Peru Bid for World's Tallest Christ Angers Locals

Peruvian President Alan Garcia's plan to build the world's tallest Christ statue has angered local residents who fear the soaring monument will mar the city's skyline.

Garcia, who told reporters he has personally donated $37,000 to finance the project, said the 37-meter (120-foot) statue is a "personal dream."

"This figure can bless Peru and protect Lima," he said about the project, which is also being funded by Brazilian companies.

Lima's Mayor Susana Villaran has expressed dismay over the location of the statue on a hill overlooking Lima's bay, which forms a 20 kilometer (12 mile) cove along the city's western edge.

"I respect President Garcia, and I am a believer. But there is a thing called the integrity of the landscape of Lima's bay," she said, adding that the president should have consulted local authorities beforehand.

The statue's proposed location on the Morro Solar hill also interferes with another historical site, said historian and archaeologist Guillermo Lumbreras.

"For years the Morro Solar has been undergoing a series of projects as a historical park... The hill is seen as a site where there was a battle in the war against Chile, and it should stay that way," he said.

Villaran said she intends to speak with Garcia and push for other sites for the Christ statue.

The statue, which is to be inaugurated on June 29, is expected to surpass the 36-meter tall Christ statue in Swiebodzin, Poland completed last November, currently the world's tallest.