Noticias
Over 890,000 artistic activities per year, almost 2,500 per day are carried out in Mexico
June 05, 2017In Mexico, over 890,000 artistic activities are carried out per year, almost 2,500 per day, which benefit nearly 100 million Mexicans. This is the result of the core work that the Department of Culture has established with other institutions of the Government of the Republic, federative entities and towns.
Secretary of Culture, María Cristina García Cepeda pointed out the above in the presentation The cultural policy of the Mexican State and its contribution to national development, given in the Auditorium of the Colegio de la Defensa Nacional, in which she addressed the strategy and lines of action carried out by the institution she heads, within the framework of public policies for the benefit of society.
With the presence of General Agustín Vallejo Silva, head of the Colegio de la Defensa Nacional, Maria Cristina García Cepeda detailed the structure and guiding principles of the Department of Culture, as well as the importance of the country's cultural policies, from the twentieth century to nowadays.
She said that Mexico’s cultural richness and its diversity are deeply related to cultural rights and harmonious coexistence in the communities, hence the importance of getting to know the country's wealth in all areas.
María Cristina García Cepeda said that Mexico ranks seventh in the World Cultural Heritage with 34 registered properties; fourth place in documentary heritage; the eighth in intangible heritage, in addition to the fifth place in linguistic diversity with 68 native languages throughout the country.
The Secretary of Culture said that Mexico also has one of the largest cultural infrastructures in Latin America with 189 archaeological sites open to the public and more than 1,200 museums; over 22,000 libraries, 3,300 reading rooms, 1,567 bookshops and points of sale, 643 theaters, 870 artistic education centers, 1,936 cultural centers and 120,000 Cultural Heritage buildings.
She explained that the Department of Culture holds 200,000 archaeological remains, 60 historic centers, 20,000 monuments and 40,000 archaeological sites and more than 65,000 artistic works. She pointed out that in 2016, museums had an attendance of 19.6 million; 15 million visited archaeological sites; 15.3 million attended artistic activities and 14 million went to see 57 Mexican movies in cinemas. There were 34.6 million users of library services and 49.2 million participated in activities in reading rooms, libraries and fairs.
She added that culture is the great asset that contributes directly a 2.8% of the Gross Domestic Product to the national economy, and reminded that the creation of the Secretary of Culture was a yearning of Mexico’s artistic communities and its creation, under the government of President Enrique Peña Nieto, allows to attend a broad agenda that includes the preservation of the material and immaterial heritage, research and artistic, anthropological, historical, paleontological and restoration education, as well as a stimulating artistic creation, book, reading and filmmaking support, popular cultures, links with states and cultural and artistic projection of Mexico to the world.
The secretary of Culture said that the cultural policy of the Mexican State is to create the conditions for culture continue to flourish through the work of creators, so recently it was established in the Department of Culture an Advisory Council made up of 25 renowned specialists, academics , artists and intellectuals, which will enrich the programs of this institution.
María Cristina García Cepeda finished her presentation by pointing out that the aim of the Department of Culture is to expand the benefits of art and culture with diversity, inclusion and plurality under four guiding principles: Culture, a right with freedom; Culture and knowledge; Cultural Development with social sense; and Mexico for the world.
"For us, culture is a source of hope, strength and work. A transforming force, definition and memory, origin and fate”, concluded the secretary of Culture.
Mexico,Distrito Federal
