Eder García and Catherine R. Ettinger
Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo
México
Imaginaries of the picturesque in Mexico
The uses of tradition in forging a national identity and foreign tourism
Cultural tourism in Mexico has historically been based on various groups of attractions,
archaeological ruins, colonial cities and picturesque villages. It is this last group that one hundred
years ago would become one of the tools of national identity, during a period in which the values
of identity, rootedness and belonging were needed to unify the country. The traditional or
“picturesque” villages were one of several elements used by the Mexican government during the
first half of the twentieth century to forge a national identity, and at the same time, to promote
international tourism. This was evident both in legislation for the protection of traditional towns
and in their presence in tourist guides and promotional materials.
Almost a century later the image of the traditional picturesque or “typical” town continues to be
used as part of a cultural heritage that is still attractive for foreign tourists. In many cases, the
imagery and the dependence of the towns on tourism for their livelihood has led to preservation.
Today a federal program called Pueblos Mágicos, literally, magical towns, promotes brands and
markets selected towns.
This paper examines the relationship between the picturesque, tourism and heritage preservation
attempting to explain the state of conservation of these towns which conforms to the imaginary
created in the first decades of the twentieth century. The authors reflect on preservation in
relation to tourism and the changes in meaning of this imaginary over the last century, in which it
has moved from being an element of national identity to become a tourist product, reflecting on
the role tourism has played in preservation.