Reflections on the conservation of the Santa Isabel Hermitage Park

Abstract

Projects that are developed in contexts of patrimonial value must respect those elements that identify the diverse periodicities present at a site, as well as the set of social values acquired from their use and appropriation on the part of the inhabitants. By contrast, when an action is carried out in the development of a patrimonial environment irrespective of these details, it implies an effect on the identity and memory thereof. Considering these principles, this paper reviews the interventions carried out, over a decade ago, in a collection of sites of enormous value in Merida, Yucatan State, Mexico, linking these actions with unfortunate scenarios in recent years, regarding work for the conservation of cultural heritage in that city.