Determining the Outstanding Universal Value of Archaeological Heritage: The case of the pre-Hispanic site of Aguas Buenas, Chontales, Nicaragua for UNESCO World Heritage

The UNESCO World Heritage List is both growing in popularity and gaining criticism in the heritage discourse. Where a place on the list can lead to economic benefit for communities and more adequate protection of heritage, problems can be found in a geographical bias of inscribed sites, preference of monumental heritage and promotion of national importance at the expense of local values. In Nicaragua there are problems concerning heritage in the sense that there is a cultural bias present that favours colonial heritage over pre-Hispanic heritage. Moreover, apart from the Pacific zone, hardly any heritage research has taken place in the country so far. In order to conquer some of these global and national problems and due to its archaeological significance, this thesis aims research the possibilities for a potential World Heritage Nomination for the pre-Hispanic site of Aguas Buenas, Chontales, Nicaragua. This site consists of 372 mounds that are spatially organized in a particular...Show moreThe UNESCO World Heritage List is both growing in popularity and gaining criticism in the heritage discourse. Where a place on the list can lead to economic benefit for communities and more adequate protection of heritage, problems can be found in a geographical bias of inscribed sites, preference of monumental heritage and promotion of national importance at the expense of local values. In Nicaragua there are problems concerning heritage in the sense that there is a cultural bias present that favours colonial heritage over pre-Hispanic heritage. Moreover, apart from the Pacific zone, hardly any heritage research has taken place in the country so far. In order to conquer some of these global and national problems and due to its archaeological significance, this thesis aims research the possibilities for a potential World Heritage Nomination for the pre-Hispanic site of Aguas Buenas, Chontales, Nicaragua. This site consists of 372 mounds that are spatially organized in a particular geometrical formation, accompanied by at least 150 petroglyphs. In order to answer the main question: “Does the pre-Hispanic site of Aguas Buenas, Chontales, Nicaragua have potential to be included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List?”, extensive literature research was carried out, accompanied by field work in the form of mapping and ethnographic interviewing. In this thesis, a landscape description is carried out and a preservation analysis is undertaken. It is also researched if Aguas Buenas adheres to UNESCO’s criteria for becoming World Heritage. Lastly, a stakeholder analysis and assessment is carried. The results provided in this thesis show that in terms of archaeological qualities there is a strong argument for a World Heritage inscription of Aguas Buenas. In addition, none of the stakeholders is by definition against a nomination and the majority of the people living in and around the site have expressed an interest in being involved in a potential heritage designation. However, due to the governmental dynamics of the country concerning archaeological heritage in the Chontales Province, there is no guarantee for an adequate protection and management of the property in practice, which is required by UNESCO. Therefore, even though the site is archaeologically significant enough for a nomination, problematics concerning governmental interests need to be solved first. A first step in solving these problematics can be found in offering information requested by the stakeholders and also showing people in Nicaragua on both a national and local scale the importance Aguas Buenas as both an archaeological site and a rural community can have for them.Show less

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Determining the Outstanding Universal Value of Archaeological Heritage: The case of the pre-Hispanic site of Aguas Buenas, Chontales, Nicaragua for UNESCO World Heritage