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A new book to appreciate the World Heritage inhabited and enjoyed in Mexican cities
We talk about World Heritage sites when one might think of distant places. But there are cities with Outstanding Universal Value, where the people can enjoy and live it, cities where day-to-day life takes place in a space of cultural or natural significance for all of humanity and future generations.
More than 300 cities are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and Mexico has 13, ranking fifth globally for its quantity. To enable more people in Mexico to discover this value, especially for over 7.5 million people inhabiting these cities, the book "The Outstanding Universal Value of Mexican Cities on the World Heritage List" was presented.
The book published by "Letra Capital" from the Municipality of Querétaro and launched at the Old Train Station of the city showcases the Outstanding Universal Value from the historical and cultural perspective of the cities of Campeche, Mexico City (including Xochimilco), Guanajuato, Morelia, Oaxaca (with Monte Albán), Puebla, Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, Tlacotalpan, Zacatecas, as well as San Juan del RÃo, San Luis PotosÃ, and Durango, for being part of the cultural itinerary known as the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.
The book is an initiative of Luis Bernardo Nava, Mayor of Querétaro and current President of the National Association of Mexican Cities on the World Heritage List, to disseminate the most important characteristics and attributes of the cities and to raise awareness and reflection about their unique and shared value with humanity, by the criteria applied by UNESCO through its Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972).
"We are committed not only to the Association but to this great task and its main objective of managing actions and resources for the preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage in our country, a legacy we have received from the past and have undertaken the commitment to protect and preserve for future generations," said Luis Nava.
The most complex challenges in managing cultural heritage are in urban sites, so the book also analyses Mexican cities regarding their Outstanding Universal Value protection and its close relationship with sustainable development, commented Andrés Morales, UNESCO Representative in Mexico.
The event also included the participation of Jaime Font Fransi, Specialist in Historical Centres and General Coordinator of the publication; Antonio Loyola, Specialist in Historical and Artistic Heritage; MarÃa Teresa GarcÃa Besné and Alejandra Iturbe Rosas, municipal Secretaries of Culture and Tourism, respectively; and the Director General of the National Association of Mexican Cities on the World Heritage List, Jorge Ortega González.
