Abstract
Since the approval, in 1972, of the World Convention on Cultural and Natural Heritage, until today, the Latin American continent has contributed to decentralizing the excessive primacy that the heritage assets of the regions of the developed world (Europe and the United States) had. Furthermore, it has attracted greater attention to the cultural diversities existing in the peripheral regions of the planet, which has allowed an enrichment of the categories and types of heritage. In a world of constant tension and change, between the pressures of global development, the inclemency of natural and human risks, and regional and local forces, World Heritage Sites are called to become spaces of enrichment of the multiple identities of the communities that give meaning to their places of roots. This type of property allows the resignification of people and communities with their changing natural, territorial, and landscape contexts, with ways of life and with social practices. It is for this reason that an adequate understanding of the role played by World Heritage Sites in the twenty-first century would allow us to face the urgent challenges of sustainable development, integrating the social, economic, environmental, and cultural dimensions of the Latin American region. This work reflects on the new paradigm that should guide the conservation and management of these heritage assets, a pending and deficient aspect in the regional reality. That is, under an approach based on the meanings and values that the communities exercise as central actors in the process. Within the framework of this paradigm, the fundamental elements of a system of conservation and management of heritage assets are exposed. Among them, the work of monitoring and evaluating the state of conservation of its Universal and Exceptional Values, and its conditions of integrity and authenticity, stands out.
Mario Ferrada Aguilar—Dr. (C) Architect. Institute of History and Heritage - Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism - University of Chile. Expert Member CIVVIH-ICOMOS Scientific Committee.
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Notes
- 1.
UNESCO (1972) World Committee of Cultural and Natural Heritage. Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. 17th General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris, November 17–21.
- 2.
Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention is a document periodically reviewed by the World Heritage Committee, and is intended to update new concepts and knowledge, as well as to provide guidance on the application procedures for inscriptions of assets, evaluation of their state of conservation and other technical matters. The most recent version of this Guide corresponds to 2019.
- 3.
PNUD-UNESCO (1986), p. 85. UNDP-UNESCO. UNESCO conventions and recommendations on the protection of cultural heritage. Regional Project for Cultural Heritage and Development, UNDP-UNESCO, Lima, 1986, p. 85.
- 4.
City of Potosí (Bolivia), Río Plátano (Honduras), Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California (Mexico), Fortifications of the Caribbean Side of Panama, Portobello-San Lorenzo (Panama), Archaeological Zone of Chan-Chan (Peru) and Choir and its Port (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela).
- 5.
The conceptual scope of the term “heritage” has expanded from the limited conception of point monuments in the past. Currently, heritage encompasses entire territories and landscapes, urban centers, old industrial plants with their communication networks and housing, or military installations, nature reserves, etc.
- 6.
In this regard, it is worth recalling the principles emanating from the 1967 Quito-Ecuador Colloquium Letter, prepared in the framework of the Meeting on the Conservation and Use of Monuments and Historic Sites, in which American experts in the area of patrimonial preservation participate. The Quito Colloquium constitutes an inaugural moment in which the objectives of the Venice Charter (1964) are translated into the reality of Latin America. It recognizes that heritage assets can become drivers of development in the Continent, because they represent an economic and social value that must be put at the service of society as a whole.
- 7.
ICOMOS. Charter for the conservation of places of cultural value. Burra-Australia (1979–1982–1988). In this regard, it is worth recalling the principles emanating from the 1967 Quito-Ecuador Colloquium Letter, prepared in the framework of the Meeting on the Conservation and Use of Monuments and Historic Sites, in which American experts in the area of patrimonial preservation participate. The Quito Colloquium constitutes an inaugural moment in which the objectives of the Venice Charter (1964) are translated into the reality of Latin America. It recognizes that heritage assets can become drivers of development in the Continent, because they represent an economic and social value that must be put at the service of society as a whole.
ICOMOS. Charter for the conservation of places of cultural value. Burra-Australia (1979–1982–1988).
- 8.
Crespo-Toral (2002) The World Heritage Convention and its impact on Latin America, Magazine PH 40-41, Special Monograph: World Heritage (1972–2002), p. 166.
- 9.
ORGANIZACIÓN DE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS-CEPAL. Panorama Social de América Latina (2018), p. 17.
- 10.
Action Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean. 2014–2024 period. Prepared by the States Parties of the Latin American and Caribbean Region, in cooperation with the consultative organizations, the Category 2. Centers of the Region and the UNESCO World Heritage Center. Ratified at the meeting “Towards an Action Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean,” held in Brasilia, Brazil from April 23 to 25, 2014.
- 11.
The International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the International Center for Studies for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), correspond to the expert advisory bodies from the UNESCO World Heritage Center.
- 12.
Sustainable development is currently a universally accepted goal and is present in most development policy proposals at the local, regional, national and global levels. Thanks to recent research, the concept of sustainable development has been associated with others such as “well-being,” the “good life” and even “happiness,” allowing them to be incorporated into public policies and their variable evaluation systems, subjective and qualitative in nature, avoiding the limitations of purely quantitative approaches.
- 13.
ICOMOS (2011) 17th General Assembly and Scientific Symposium ‘Heritage, the engine of development’. November 27 to December 2. ICOMOS News, Vol. 18, No.1, p. 9. Paris-France, ICOMOS, 2011.
- 14.
Boccardi (2007).
- 15.
Boccardi (2012). Introduction to heritage and sustainable development. Document presented in the special module on sustainable development of the ICCROM course on the conservation of built heritage.
- 16.
UNESCO/ ICOMOS/ ICCROM/ IUCN (2014). Reference Manual for the Management of World Cultural Heritage, Paris, UNESCO, p. 14.
- 17.
According to the UNESCO World Heritage Center, a “governance system” maintains a balance between social and economic objectives and between individual and community goals. Its purpose is to promote the efficient use of resources and to demand responsibilities for the administration of those resources. What is sought aims to align as far as possible the interests of individuals, cultural heritage and society. UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICCROM/IUCN (2014). Reference Manual for the Management of World Cultural Heritage, Paris, UNESCO, p. 78.
- 18.
UNESCO (1993) 17th Meeting of the World Heritage Committee. Convention for the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage. Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, December 6–11.
- 19.
UNESCO (1994) 18th World Heritage Committee Meeting. Phuket, Thailand, November 12–17.
- 20.
Waisman (1990) The interior of the story. Architectural historiography for use by Latin Americans. Bogotá-Colombia, Editorial Escala, p. 127.
- 21.
Ballart Hernández (1996) The value of historical heritage. Complutum Extra Magazine, No. 6, Vol. II, pp. 215–224.
- 22.
Ballart Hernández and Juan I Tresseras (2008), p. 189.
- 23.
Cabezas Capetillo (2018), p. 30.
- 24.
Mendes Zancheti and Ferreira Hidaka (2012) An indicator to measure the state of conservation of urban heritage sites. Mendes Zancheti, Silvio and Simila, Katriina (Editors). Measuring heritage. Conservation perfomance. 6th International Seminar on Urban Conservation, Recife-Brazil, ICCROM-CECI, p. 121.
- 25.
Teixeira Coelho and Rodrigues de Carvalho (2012) The valuation of conservation as a tool for the identification of cultural heritage, its monitoring and evaluation. Mendes Zancheti, Silvio and Simila, Katriina (Editors). Measuring heritage. Conservation perfomance. 6th International Seminar on Urban Conservation, Recife-Brazil, ICCROM-CECI, p. 30.
- 26.
The list was established after a two-year consultation process with experts in both fields of natural and cultural heritage. It consists of a series of 14 primary factors, each encompassing a series of secondary factors.
- 27.
UNESCO (2004), p. 8.
- 28.
Ibid.
- 29.
UNESCO (2004), p. 119.
- 30.
Mendes Zancheti and Ferreira Hidaka (2012), p. 121.
- 31.
Choay (2007) Allegory of heritage. Barcelona, Gustavo Gili, p. 236.
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Aguilar, M.F. (2021). World Heritage Sites in Latin America: Conservation and Management Under a Value-Based Approach. In: Christofoletti, R., Olender, M. (eds) World Heritage Patinas. The Latin American Studies Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64815-2_11
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