Earthen heritage, conservation practices and commodification in a World Heritage Site (Quebrada de Humahuaca, Jujuy, Argentina)

BARADA, JULIETA; TOMASI, JORGE

Valencia

Congreso; International Conference on Vernacular Architecture in World Heritage Sites. Risks and New Technologies. HERITAGE2020 (3DPast | RISK-Terra); 2020

Universidad Politécnica de Valencia

Contemporary reflections on the conception and conservation of architectural heritage have led to new perspectives on certain categories, such as authenticity, within a more dynamic understanding of social facts. Historically, local communities themselves have rethought and transformed their architectures within the framework of the becoming of their reality, such that the change is inherent in their condition of existence. At the same time, it is necessary to consider a multiplicity of institutionalized actors that raise agendas and actions that intersect in a complex way with these dynamics of the local, particularly in World Heritage sites. In this paper we will analyze the implications of these processes through the study of earthen architectures in Quebrada de Humahuaca (Jujuy, Argentina), incorporated into the World Heritage List in 2003. In relation to the exponential growth of tourism, there has been a process of transformation in different dimensions of local realities, such that today the site is at a significant risk.Transformations in vernacular architectures will be analyzed considering two dimensions and their intersections. On the one hand, changes in practices of local builders within their own dynamics; on the other, the conservation actions on the architectures that have formal declarations of protection and their commodification linked to tourist activity. The approach of this paper will focus on technical aspects, within a conception that considers them as social facts, based on the survey and fieldwork carried out in recent years.