Jorge Luis Rios Allier will present his doctoral research project on cultural heritage management in Oacaxa, Mexico. Jorge is pursuing his Ph.D. in the Archeology and Social Context program in the IU Department of Anthropology.

Archaeology focuses the attention of scholars in many fields onto the problem of cultural heritage management (CHM) because of the diverse views among cultural resource stakeholders as users and owners. Through the analysis of the interactions among archaeologists, economists, environmental preservationists and government policies within institutional frameworks my research will describe and contextualize the history of CHM in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The Mexican case is an excellent example to illustrate the transition from stewardship-deficit practice towards a cultural governance strategy where local self-government systems try to use development projects related to archaeology as a common pool resource. My research will measure the consequences of this transition and concomitant innovation in daily process, and will gauge public opinion about archaeology as a factor in the decision-making process for local development.

This research proposes a systematization of social-economic data, from direct or indirect sources, that will contribute to understanding the phenomenon of archaeological heritage management in the region and according to the economic and social context which allows local development, to observe the limits of the phenomenon and will develop a participatory management model in Tlacolula Valley.