Centro cívico de Guatemala, patrimonio moderno en peligro

Abstract

The Ministry of Culture and Sports in Guatemala is conscious that modern heritage is already susceptible of being recognized, protected and divulged, requested DoCoMoMo Guatemala, to lead the technical committee to do the proposal to declare the Civic Center as National Heritage (2014). Therefore a workshop was organized to achieve the recognition of the Civic Center´s uniqe values and therefore the official recognition as Heritage of our Nation. Unfortunately, two years ago it was revealed that the government threatened against all the initiatives explained above to elevate this Civic Center to become candidate in the UNESCO´s Indicative List by proposing an invasive proposal of about 6 massive buildings in the site where the actual Central Train Station located nearby Civic Center and that is already declared as National Heritage. The management of the Architectural Heritage and its validation should be done by participatory and inclusive actions. A group of professionals and patrimonial managers propose a counterproposal focused on the valorisation and revitalization of the heritage but not to its destruction.