Local conceptions for conservation practices. Earthen architectural heritage in the Andean area from participatory experiences (Jujuy, Argentina)

TOMASI, JORGE; BARADA, JULIETA

Pingyao

Conferencia; ICOMOS - CIAV & ISCEAH 2019 Joint Annual Meeting & International Conference on Vernacular & Earthen Architecture towards Local Development; 2019

Conservation practices are associated with certain conceptions of temporality, that is, a way of defining and perceiving time. Tension that exists between hegemonic notions of temporality and those of many local communities is a relevant issue to problematize the approaches to heritage and its conservation. Contemporary reflections lead to the establishment of new methodologies to achieve an effective participation of communities and their ways of thinking about architecture over time. The ignorance of local knowledge and practices has often led to interventions that have altered the values of these heritages and has distanced communities from their architectures.This paper will present three experiences of participatory conservation that have been developed with different communities in the highlands of the province of Jujuy (Argentina), in particular Puna and Quebrada de Humahuaca areas, the latter inscribed in the World Heritage List. Architectures that have been treated in these projects have a high significance, historical and religious, for these communities, which have sustained the continuous use of buildings, and also have different types of heritage declarations. In all cases, these are earthen architectures, with different techniques such as adobe for the walls and mud roofs. Knowledge associated with these techniques is currently part of the daily practices of the population.Objective of the presentation is to contribute to the theoretical and methodological discussions from the analysis of these case studies, considering forms of community participation in the framework of conservation. In turn, technical problems existing in the three buildings and the intervention strategies generated from the proposed theoretical approach will be described.