ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
Inter-American Council for Integral Development
(CIDI)
INTER-AMERICAN COMMITTEE ON CULTURE
AUTHORITIES PLANNING MEETING
June 26, 2007
Brasilia, Brazil
OEA/Ser.W/XIII.5
CIDI/CIC/RPA/INF. 3/07
20 June 2007
Original: Spanish
“CASE STUDIES IN THE PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE”
(Mexico City, 21 – 23 March, 2007)
17th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006
“CASE STUDIES IN THE PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE”
(Mexico City, 21 – 23 March, 2007)
Background:
The Sub-regional Workshop “Case Studies in the Protection of Cultural Heritage” held in
Mexico City, March 21-23, 2007, was organized within the framework of the ministerial process of
culture of the Organization of the American States (OAS). The workshop was also framed in the list
of high-priority activities on culture approved during the Third Meeting of Ministers of Culture and
Highest Appropriate Authorities (Montreal, Canada, November of 2006) and the Work Plan of the
Inter-American Committee on Culture (CIC). The workshop was carried out thanks to the initiative
and generous financial support of the Department of State of the United States, as well as the
technical contributions and the hospitality of the government of Mexico through the National Council
for Culture and the Arts (CONACULTA) and the National Institute of Anthropology and History
(INAH, and the support of the Inter-American Committee on Culture of the Organization of the
American States (OAS).
Objective:
The main objective of the workshop was to strengthen the cooperation among the countries of
Central America, Mexico and the Dominican Republic in the preservation of their cultural heritage
and the protection of their archaeological and historical sites against looting and illicit trafficking.
Issues addressed:
The issues addressed included: the measures adopted by the countries to fight illicit traffic of
cultural goods; to regulate the import-export of cultural goods, and/or their recovery and/or
restitution; the training of personnel (police, customs agents and public prosecutors, etc.); the
implementation of security measures and heritage sites’ management plans, including the creation of
inventories; as well as educational and awareness campaigns on valuing cultural heritage.
Participants:
Up to three participants of each country were invited from the list of candidates they
submitted. Representatives of each country were required to be professionals whose work was
directly linked to the protection of archaeological or historical heritage sites, working either in
cultural or educational or other appropriate institutions, and who could contribute their experiences on
one of the subjects to be addressed through a presentation and/or could apply the knowledge acquired
in their daily work. In addition, Colombia was invited as possible host for a second workshop, for the
Andean region or South America, and also shared emblematic cases.
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The list of participants is included in Annex 1 and a group photo in Annex 2.
Logistics:
The Workshop was held at the National Museum of Anthropology and History of Mexico
City March 21-23, 2007. The workshop’s conceptual framework was proposed by the Cultural
Heritage Center of the US Department of State and approved by the other co-sponsors. The agenda
of the event was built from the participants own proposed presentations.
Presentations:
Participants made presentations and shared experiences on strategic issues related to
education and awareness campaigns, inventories and registries, measures to prevent illicit trafficking,
management of cultural goods, and protection and repatriation of cultural and historical heritage. In
addition, there were presentations on national legislation, bilateral agreements between governments,
and implementation of international conventions:
1.
“Research and Enhancement of the archaeological sites with pre-Columbian spheres,
Delta of the Díquis, Southeast Costa Rica”, Anthropologist Francisco Ulloa Corrales,
General Director of the National Museum of Costa Rica.
2.
“Two Museums Enhance the History of a Town: Strategic alliances of the Regional
Museums of Comayagua and San Pedro Sula with their communities to use the
Honduran Heritage as a Factor for Development”. Archeologist Adela Patricia Leon
Gómez Argueta, in charge of Regional Museums, Honduran Institute of
Anthropology and History, Honduras.
3.
“The Dominican experience in the local and regional implementation of the Unified
Registry System (SUR) in the cultural goods inventory, international cooperation and
the Impact in the Illicit Traffic of Cultural Goods”, Archeologist Nerva Eliana
Fondeur Gómez, Director of the National Center of Cultural Goods Inventories,
Dominican Republic.
4.
“Importance of the cultural goods inventory and registry as one of the first measures
that the community is to take to guarantee good management and conservation of the
Cultural Heritage inventory”, Historian Leonel Octavio González Pineda, Cultural
Heritage Recorder, Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History, Honduras.
5.
“Public Registry as an Instrument of Protection”, Archeologist Silvia Mesa Davila,
Archaeological Direction of Public Monument Registry and Zones, Mexico.
6.
“Border Measures for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage “, Lic. Genaro Gutiérrez
Ramírez, Customs Investigation Administration, Mexico.
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7.
“Alliances and Strategies for the Prevention and Control of Illicit Trafficking of
Cultural Heritage”. Maria Isabel Gómez Ayala, Cultural Goods Group Coordinator,
Ministry of Culture, Colombia.
8.
Bilateral Collaboration in the Protection of Cultural Heritage: United States-Mexico
Experience”. Jack Corbett, Professor in the Postgraduate and Research Division of the
Oaxaqueño Institute, Mexico.
9.
“Monte Alban’s Administration as a Management Model of the Great Archaeological
Sites “, Dra. Nelly M. Robles García, Director, Monte Alban’s Archeological Site,
Mexico.
10.
“Management of the Dominican Archaeological Heritage and the illicit trafficking of
Cultural Goods: a concrete case: Proposal of Standards for its legal protection and the
implementation of management strategies for archaeological sites”. Archeologist
Martha Alfonsina Roquel Aquino, National Archaeology Director, Dominican
Republic.
11.
“Preserving the Past for the Future: Managing the Cultural Resources of Belize,
(Conservando el Pasado para el Futuro: Manejo de Recursos Culturales de Belice)
Dr. Jaime Jose Awe, Director of the Archaeology Institute, National Institute of
Culture and History, Belize.
12.
“Heritage Management in Belize: Balancing Tourism, Conservation and Research”
(Manejo del Patrimonio Cultural en Belice: Balance del Turismo, Conservación e
Investigación), Brian Woodye, Institute of Archaeology, Belize.
13.
“Public Education and Awareness: Approaches in the Protection of Cultural
Heritage”. (Educación Pública y Concientización: Avances en la Protección del
Patrimonio Cultural)”, Mr. George Thompson, Director of Policy and Planning of the
Institute of Archeology, Belize.
14.
“Implementation of Preventive Measures against the Illicit Traffic of Cultural
Goods”, Lic. Oscar Eduardo Mora Gómez, Coordinator of the Unit for the Prevention
of Illicit Trafficking and Luis Fernando Paniagua Armas, Head of the Department of
Registry of Cultural Goods, Guatemala.
15.
“Successes of the National Program for the Protection of Cultural Goods. Goals in the
short, medium and long terms”, Lic. Filias Bencosme, Legal Counselor, Secretariat of
State and Culture, and Dr. Juan Rodriguez, Assistant Director of the Museum of the
Dominican Man, Dominican Republic“.
16.
“National Museum of Costa Rica: Procedures against the Illicit Traffic of National
Archaeological Heritage”, Lic. Marlin Calvo Mora, in charge of the Heritage of the
National Museum of Costa Rica, Costa Rica.
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17.
“Protection of the International Cultural Heritage and the Department of State” Dr.
Margaret MacLean and Dr. Harry Iceland, Department of State Cultural Heritage
Center, United States.
18.
“Campeche’s Waters and the Protection of the Sub-aquatic Cultural Heritage “,
Archeologist Pilar Luna, Assistant Director of Sub-aquatic Archaeology, Mexico.
19.
“Summary of Cases on Protection of the Cultural Heritage Implemented in El
Salvador”, Lic. Yanira Soundy, Head of the Legal Department and Lic. Héctor Ismael
Sermeño, National Director of Cultural Heritage, El Salvador.
20.
“Repatriation of the Cultural Heritage. A case “, Lic. Maria of Perpetual Socorro
Villareal E., National Director of Legal Affairs, INAH, Mexico.
21.
“Repatriation of Cultural Goods: A successful case of bilateral cooperation”,
Archeologist Pedro Francisco Sánchez Nava, Director of Planning, Evaluation and
Project Coordination of the National Coordination on Archaeology, Mexico.
22.
“State of implementation of the UNESCO conventions, related to Heritage in LAC:
An approach to the subject”. Victor Marín, Regional Office on Culture for Latin
America and the Caribbean, UNESCO.
23.
“Results of the Cooperation Agreement with the USA on the Protection of Cultural
Goods”, Archeologist Mario Antonio Molina Carrillo, President of ICOMOS
Nicaragua, Nicaragua.
24.
“Internet as a Tool for the Illicit Trade of Archaeological and Cultural Heritage”, Dr.
Gabriel Andrés Campoli, National Institute of Penal Sciences, Mexico.
Work groups:
Participants were divided into three work groups to discuss subjects of common interest. One
group worked on the use of the inventory and registry as preventive strategies for the conservation of
cultural heritage. The group indicated that the cultural and historical goods registry and inventory of
the countries of the sub-region should facilitate the identification, conservation and protection of the
heritage and that the Central American heritage conservation law model and the unique registry card
and inventory of cultural goods have allowed the recovery and repatriation of illicitly exported goods.
Another group identified the need to create a platform for the implementation of a unified
registry of cultural goods at the regional level. The members of the group indicated that, in spite of
the individual efforts conducted by the countries of the sub-region on the subject of registry and
inventory of their heritage, it becomes necessary to adopt a common platform that allows the
identification of the cultural and historical goods of all the countries. This would facilitate the flow of
information to the INTERPOL databank, thereby facilitating the conservation, protection, recovery
and repatriation of the heritage quickly and efficiently. The adoption of the platform would require
the training of customs employees and others.
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The third group worked on the conclusions and recommendations that emanated from the
workshop. Among the recommendations it was suggested to promote educational campaigns at the
national and regional level to stimulate respect for cultural heritage, to raise awareness of cultural
roots, of the socio-historical memory and the need to prevent and combat, as a community, the illicit
traffic of cultural and historical goods, and to preserve them for future generations. The participants’
conclusions and recommendations can be consulted in Annex 3.
Future actions:
The sponsors of this workshop are considering sponsoring a workshop on inventories, as per
the participants’ suggestion. The possibility of future sub-regional workshops, including one for the
Andean or South American region in Colombia in the second half of 2008, will be considered by the
Inter-American Committee on Culture (CIC).
CIDI02101E01