UKU and his cub KUKI are characters created by artist Haroldo Higa especially for the new Jorge Chávez International Airport. They are inspired by the Ukuku, a figure from Andean cosmology who serves as the guardian of sacred mountain sites and a messenger of prosperity, responsible for bringing water from the Andes to the coast.

Both characters represent the spectacled bear, an emblematic species protected in the Chaparrí Ecological Reserve in Lambayeque. Classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the species faces the risk of extinction. This natural environment, key to its conservation, adds a contemporary dimension to the narrative and reinforces the connection between biodiversity, identity, and heritage.

From a contemporary perspective, Higa reinterprets the Ukuku through large-scale sculptures. UKU and KUKI not only evoke traditions that span from the Andes to the coast, but also convey universal values such as love, protection, and harmony with nature. Through a modern and accessible visual language, they celebrate Peruvian cultural heritage, building bridges between the ancestral and the present.