Actress Cameron Diaz apologized to the people of Peru after was photographed wearing a bag featuring a political slogan considered offensive by the local people.

While visiting the Machu Picchu ruins in Peru, the "Shrek" star wore a green bag with the words "serve the people" written in Chinese, perhaps Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-Tung's most famous political slogan.

According to the local laws, the slogan evokes memories of the Maoist Shining Path insurgency that fought the government in the 1980s and early 1990s in a bloody conflict that left nearly 70,000 people dead.

"I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have inadvertently offended. The bag was a purchase I made as a tourist in China and I did not realize the potentially hurtful nature of the slogan printed on it," Diaz was quoted by Associated Press as saying.

The Hollywood actress admitted she didn’t wear the bad on purpose, and that she had no idea of what the message means for the people in Peru.

"I'm sorry for any people's pain and suffering, and it was certainly never my intention to reopen what I now know is a painful wound in this country's history," she added.

Her appearance with the bag had drawn criticism from prominent local human rights activist Pablo Rojas.

"It alludes to a concept that did so much damage to Peru, that brought about so many victims," he said on Friday.

"I don't think she should have used that bag where the followers of that ideology did so much damage."