Cozumel seeking recognition of Unesco’s Best Practices

The Biocultural Itinerary of Cozumel is requesting Best Practices accreditation from Unesco. The project was revealed at the Intersectoral and Technical Meeting on Best Practices and Underwater Cultural Heritage, according to the INAH.

The island’s heritage, which spans from prehistory to the 20th century, will be prioritized for diffusion, enjoyment, and responsible access, according to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH)

The “Yucatan Peninsula Nautical and Underwater Route” was developed in order to promote and protect the cultural legacy of this Mexican Caribbean island. To be given the distinction of Best Practices, the island will attempt to submit a proposal to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and the Sub-directorate of Underwater Archeology (SAS), according to federal Ministry of Culture officials, indicated that the project is a result of a global movement toward the democratization of the island’s cultural heritage.

Helena Barba Meinecke, the director of the SAS’s Yucatan Peninsula Office, asserts that if Best Practices are eventually recognized, Cozumel will serve as the focal point of a project that aims to eventually incorporate additional terrestrial and underwater locations on the peninsula.

On the island of Cozumel, 15 heritage sites, including underwater environments, archaeological resources, museums, and natural forms, are included in the itinerary.

According to the head of the Yucatan Peninsula Office of the SAS, Helena Barba Meinecke, the eventual recognition of Best Practices would make Cozumel the spearhead of a project that will seek, in the long term, to integrate other terrestrial and underwater sites of the peninsula.

The itinerary presented includes 15 heritage sites on the island of Cozumel between underwater contexts, archaeological assets, museums and natural formations.