Fresco: intangible heritage as a key to unlocking the links between the conservation of biological and cultural diversity in Alamos.

Abstract

Alamos, Sonora, Mexico contains world-class heritage and is on the tentative list for World Heritage status. The colonial architecture in the town centre has been declared a National Historic Monument and a unique eco-system of incomparable biodiversity and is protected under UNESCO’s network of biosphere reserves. Local indigenous groups keep alive a wealth of information about practical and medicinal uses of plant species. External forces threaten the natural, cultural and intangible heritage of the region. The UNESCO guidelines for identifying and clarifying biocultural diversity call for multiple regimes of credibility and an interdisciplinary,holistic approach. This paper explores links between biological and cultural diversity seen through the lens of the global intangible tradition called fresco painting. An artist’s perspective identifies previously unnoticed connections as well as economic alternatives to destructive land-use patterns, resulting in concrete proposals for the conservation of natural, cultural and intangible heritage in Alamos. Fresco is an ideal model for explaining how an intangible tradition expresses itself and positively impacts on biocultural diversity at global, regional and local levels. The model answers UNESCO’s call for frameworks and methodologies for recognising and describing the interdependence of nature and culture, and leads to an understanding of the quantitative value of diversity. Daan Hoekstra Visual artist and independent researcher, Fondo Estatal para la Cultura y las Artes de Sonora, Mexico