Applying Heritage Ecosystem approach to Mexico City's historic center: roles of authorities and communities in economic, political and cultural developments

Purpose This paper examines the Historic Center of Mexico City (CHCM) to analyze the importance of multi-level actors – including communities, local authorities, the national government and international organizations – and the relations between them. A Heritage Ecosystem (HE) approach is used to understand how historic monuments are effectively protected. Design/methodology/approach An ethnographic approach was employed to uncover the roles of local stakeholders. The analysis focused on community-implemented rehabilitation projects conducted by a small group of active community members in the CHCM. Additionally, interviews with community members and local authorities were conducted to strengthen the findings of previous research. Findings By applying the HE approach, this paper demonstrates that theories of conservation and management of heritage led by the Authorized Heritage Discourse do not necessarily apply to bottom-up projects aimed at protecting monuments. However, examining the complex interconnections among heritage attributes, economic, political, and social systems, communities and history allows observers to understand the multiple values present within the HE. The significance of the relationship between local authorities and communities was highlighted as crucial for understanding the CHCM case. Originality/value This paper introduces a social scientific approach, combined with the HE framework, as a novel method for analyzing heritage values and conservation mechanisms. An original Model of Interaction between local authorities and communities is presented to facilitate the analysis of their interrelationships, providing a foundation for future research on other case studies.