Heritage conservation in Mexico faces challenges

In Mexico , cultural heritage is so vast that almost any excavation can reveal vestiges of the past. In Mérida , heritage restoration specialists discussed the importance of involving communities in preserving their own history.

As part of the 70th anniversary of the Alliance Française in Mérida, the conference “Le Patrimoine comme Trait d'Union (Heritage as a guiding thread)” was held last night, given by Marie-Georges Pagel Brousse , president of the Rempart Union, and Johanna O'Byrne, national delegate of this organization, which brings together heritage protection organizations.

The talk featured the participation of Dr. Aurelio Sánchez Suárez , researcher at the Social Sciences Unit at the Regional Research Center of the Autonomous University of Yucatán ( UADY ).

The activity highlighted the value of heritage not only as an aesthetic or historical component, but also as an essential element of identity and unity of communities.

Johanna O'Byrne , also in charge of international affairs at Rempart, explained that the association works in a network with more than 200 organisations in France and 50 in 30 other countries, promoting volunteering, citizenship and intercultural dialogue through heritage restoration.

Rempart Union sees heritage as a bridge between individuals to build together a sustainable and supportive future. It is a union of national and regional associations dedicated to the restoration, appreciation and transmission of cultural and natural heritage.

Its mission is to preserve built and natural heritage and traditional knowledge through collective, educational, training, mediation and integration actions.

Cooperation for cultural heritage

The conference highlighted how communities work together to determine the use of heritage sites. In many cases, these are ruined spaces that have been part of people's daily lives for generations.

The first step in its recovery is to ensure the protection of the site and then establish its role in accordance with the needs and desires of the community, whether as an exhibition space, theatre or cultural centre.

During his speech, Dr. Sánchez Suárez stressed that in Mexico, the care of heritage is regulated by laws and organizations, which influences conservation processes.

Depending on their classification (archaeological, historical or artistic) , projects require the intervention of specialists and the approval of institutions such as the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (Inbal).

However, he said, lack of information and fear of losing property have led many people to hide finds on their land instead of reporting them to the appropriate institutions.

The case of southeastern Mexico is specific, since the Mayan social structure, which is based on relationships of collaboration rather than domination, has fostered cooperative relationships and the creation of open and receptive communities.

However, the imposition of projects without prior consultation has led to the abandonment of many government initiatives.

"It cannot be an imposed process, it has to come from the community and its own needs," he stressed.

The challenge, the speakers agreed, is to move towards a cultural governance in which communities are the protagonists of the management of their own heritage, breaking with the centralized vision that has historically defined what and how it is preserved.— KARLA ACOSTA CASTILLO