AN APPROACH TO THE MANAGEMENT AND THE STRATEGIC PLANNING OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES: THE CASE OF MEXICO

The relation between tourism and archaeology, and especially archaeological conservation, has been traditionally conceived in terms of divorce and opposition. However, the last years have seen significant changes not only in the conceptualisation of these fields, but also in the way that they connect and interact with each other. This paper focuses on this intellectual and practical situation. On the basis of a historic review of the development of archaeological heritage management in Mexico and an overview of its current state, it is recognised that one of the main problems has been the lack of clear and homogenous methodological guidelines. In order to fulfil this gap, both a model for strategic planning and a proposal of governing principles are presented for their implementation in Latin America.