Noticias
Manuel Tolsás El Caballito restoration was completed
INAH strengthened the preservation, research, conservation and dissemination of Mexico´s cultural heritage in 2017
January 02, 2018The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH, for its acronym in Spanish) is the agency attached to the Department of Culture of the Government of the Republic that reseraches, conserves and disseminates Mexico’s archaeological, anthropological, historical and paleontological heritage in order to strengthen national identity and memory.
In order to achieve these goals in 2017, it carried out various activities: research, academic enrichment, legal protection, preservation and conservation of heritage, consolidation of its academic and school centers, maintenance of museums and archaeological sites to make them accessible to the public carrying out restoration activities. The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH, for its acronym in Spanish), led by the anthropologist Diego Prieto, carries out these tasks in coordination with the Department of Culture, headed by María Cristina García Cepeda.
Research
From January to September, 935 projects were registered and authorized at the Institutional System of Projects (which main objective is to register and follow up research, conservation and dissemination projects carried out by researchers, restorers and architects of the INAH).
Research work was carried out on archaeological, anthropological and historical themes, including: Paquimé Archaeological Project, Chihuahua; Xpuhil Archaeological Research, Conservation and Rescue Project, Campeche; Bonampak Archaeological Project, Chiapas; National Ethnography Program of the Indigenous Regions of Mexico; Social Actors of the Medicinal Flora in Mexico. Second Stage 2017-2020 and Inventory and Diagnosis of Submerged Heritage in the Biosphere Reserve of Banco Chinchorro, Quintana Roo.
In addition, 97 supports were granted for the assistance of researchers and restorers for congresses and academic stays and 220 scientific articles were prepared in the different branches of research where the following stand out: Flora and Fauna of the exhibition Templo Mayor. Revolution and Stability; Bone Remains of Fauna and Subsistence in Monte Albán and Con el deseo en la piel (With desire in the skin). An episode of documentary photography in the late 20th century.
In addition, 905 academic events were held, including lectures, talks, colloquia and others, including: One hundred years of archaeology in Copilco; Huapalcalco: a retrospective through its archaeological material; An Epiclassic settlement in the Barrio de la Concepción, Coyoacán; Iconographic description of the petroglyph La Bruja en Puerto Márques, Acapulco, an officiant or a shaman? The Conferences on Anthropological Expertise and the International Congress on African-Mexican Studies: Reflections, Debates and Challenges.
In an interview with the Department of Culture, Diego Prieto highlighted the research carried out in the archaeological zone of Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan and two tables of great importance for INAH: the Sixth Round Table Teotihuacan: Origins, Boom, Collapse and Inheritance and the Sixth Round Table of Palenque Chan Ch'e'en. The sky and the well.
“Progress was made in the National Ethnography Program of the Indigenous Regions of Mexico, since INAH is responsible not only for reporting on the past, archaeology and history, but also on the diversity of the populations and cultures of Mexico in the present, especially now that our country is defined as a multicultural nation”.
“In this sense, we advance in the recognition of multiculturalism and the existence of diverse universes and cultures that have to do with the ethnic, ethnolinguistic and cultural formations that characterize the diverse cultural and social mosaic that Mexico is”.
Legal and Technical Protection
From January to September, 1,450 archaeological sites were registered in the Sistema Único de Registro Público de Monumentos y Zonas Arqueológicos e Históricos (Public Registry System of Archaeological and Historical Monuments and Zones) for 12 cities of the Mexican Republic.
In addition, 1,230 records of historical monuments incorporated into the Unified Registration System were updated in 10 states.
There were also registered 29,104 movable monuments in 12 cities of which 26,225 are archaeological pieces and 2,879 are historical pieces.
The National Catalogue of Historic Monuments was inscribed with 420 new records in 15 cities and 1,900 records of the national catalogue were updated in seven entities.
One thousand and seven hundred and twenty two reports were prepared on Technical and Legal Protection of Cultural Heritage, including the Parish of Santa Veracruz (Historical Center of Mexico City); the Former Convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán (Oxolotán, Tacotalpa, Tabasco); the Museum of Journalism and Graphic Arts (Historical Center of Guadalajara, Jalisco); and the Museum of Natural History.
Asimismo se realizaron siete planes de manejo de las zonas arqueológicas entre las que destacan: Xcaret, Xelhá y Playa del Carmen en Quintana Roo.
Seven management plans were also carried out for the archaeological zones, including Xcaret, Xelhá and Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo.
Conservation and Restoration
A little more than 14,000 movable and immovable properties were conserved from January to September for archaeological or historical purposes in situ, in museums and workshops, including 2,800 properties of the National Museum of Anthropology, 189 of the National Museum of History, 21 of the Museum of the Great Temple and 552 of the National Museum of World Cultures.
Over 1,400 minor preventive maintenance actions were carried out in museums, archaeological zones and historical monuments open to the public, including those carried out at the Museum of the Templo Mayor and the National Museum of Anthropology.
“I would highlight that the restoration of the equestrian statue of Carlos IV, made by Manuel Tolsá is finished, a historical and artistic reference of great importance for Mexico City, the country and the continent, as is considered the most important historical statue of America”, said Diego Prieto.
“With the support of the government of the State of Mexico, we did the conservation and restoration of the niche of Our Lady of Loreto in the National Viceroyalty Museum located in Tepotzotlán. The result was extremely successful as the people who visited the museum were delighted with the result”.
“We had a favorable response from the U. S. government's Fund of Ambassadors for Cultural Preservation to support the Program for the Conservation of Elements of the Archaeological Zone of Palenque which is World Heritage. They contributed half a million dollars to take care of the conservation problems of Pakal's tomb and the waterproofing of its buildings”, he said.
Dissemination
Eighty nine temporary and itinerant exhibitions were held from January to September, including: Flowers in the Mexican regional costume at the Museo del Carmen; Echoes of Culture. Ethnography and sound recording and Korean Colours at the National Museum of World Cultures; The Cross and the Stone. The first steps of the Augustinians in the new Spain in the Ex Convent of Acolman; The flower in Mexican culture in the Regional Museum of Anthropology, Canton Palace, in Yucatan.
In addition, Golden Kingdoms: Luxury and Legacy in the Ancient Americas at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire at the Museum of Young, San Francisco, California and Cristóbal de Villalpando: Mexican Painter of the Baroque at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
He highlighted the publication of 68 books with an edition of 24,400 copies, among them Teotihuacán. The City of the Gods and the catalogues, Frobenius, the world of rock art and Echoes of culture. Ethnography and sound recording.
Twenty-eight magazines were published with a total of 36,200 copies, including the INAH Cultural Agenda, Bulletin of Historical Monuments, Archaeology and Anthropology.
In addition, there were a total of 19,826,765 visitors to the cultural heritage administered by INAH, of which 15,313,282 were national visits and 4,513,483 foreign visitors.
The most visited museums and historical monuments were Museo Nacional de Historia, Museo Nacional de Antropología, Museo del Templo Mayor, Museo del Caracol (History Gallery) and Museo Regional de Guanajuato (Alhóndiga de Granaditas). The five most visited archaeological sites were: Teotihuacan, Chichén Itzá, Tulum, Palenque and Cobá.
In addition, 1,652 cultural events were held such as artistic presentations, concerts, courses and children's workshops; two new archaeological sites were opened to the public in Puebla: Teteles de Santo Nombre and Tehuacán el Viejo, and the opening of the Regional Museum of Cholula was carried out in collaboration with the state government of Puebla.
It was announced that after seven years of constant work on a property located behind the Metropolitan Cathedral, the remains of the principal Temple of Ehecatl (the Mexica god of wind) and a corner of the Old Tenochtitlan Ball Game were found.
Training of professionals
INAH’s key role is its academic work, carried out by more than 400 academics assigned to the disciplines of history, social anthropology, physical anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, ethnohistory, ethnology, architecture, heritage conservation, conservation and restoration.
This task is also accomplished through four schools: Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Escuela Nacional de Conservación, Restauración y Museografía, Escuela de Antropología e Historia del Norte de México (Chihuahua) and Escuela de Conservación y Restauración de Occidente (Jalisco).
From January to September, 2,918 students enrolled in schools administered by the Institute. In addition, 636 undergraduate students were enrolled for new admission, 812 students graduated and 268 degree projects and 428 internships were registered. 865 undergraduate scholarships were awarded and 84 full-time teachers attended courses in September.
For 2018
Diego Prieto said that INAH will begin 2018 with an exhibition that will present in collaboration with the Department of Finance and Public Credit on Mixtec cultures of the past and present.
“This is an amazing exhibition that we will be opened soon. It will be important because it is a window that will allow Mexicans and foreign visitors to see this important universe of Mexican diversity that is the Mixtec world”.
“They will enter the cosmos of these cultures that had an important flourishing in the Pre-Hispanic Age and that are still alive and present as part of our ethnic and linguistic identity”.
Finally, he pointed out that another outstanding activity will be the exhibition Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire, which will arrive at the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) soon this year.
Mexico,Distrito Federal
