Oaxaca, the first city in Latin America and the Caribbean to begin a community inventory of its living heritage in a UNESCO regional project

Oaxaca, Mexico, becomes the first of four cities in Latin America and the Caribbean to begin identifying and integrating living heritage into urban planning processes as part of UNESCO's regional project 'Communities for Heritage,' funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to strengthen community resilience and promote sustainable tourism

At the Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca, the second phase of the project was carried out, during which the work plan was presented to conduct the community inventory of five expressions of Oaxaca's intangible cultural heritage: Chinas Oaxaqueñas, comparsas from the Jalatlaco neighborhood, preparation and flavors of artisanal snows (sorbets and ice cream), as well as traditional table linens and the stewardship of the Virgin of the Rosary, both from the Santo Tomás Xochimilco neighborhood.

The cultural practices were selected through consultations with the communities involved and the implementation team, considering their potential alignment with ongoing urban policies and projects. Representatives of these expressions participated in the working sessions of this second stage, sharing significant elements of their practices, needs, and safeguarding priorities.

"The Day of the Dead comparsas in the Jalatlaco neighbourhood have been held for more than 60 years. They begin with a cultural week before November 1. Children and young people participate, wearing traditional features and attire. The comparsas belong to and are for the neighbourhood, and they do not leave it, which has ensured their viability throughout all these years," shared Gibraham Ramírez, a member of the comparsa.

This stage of the project includes participatory workshops and meetings with the communities for a local research process on the meanings and social function of the selected elements, the actors involved, current viability and associated risks, in order to evaluate how to incorporate them into municipal urban planning processes.

"We have occupied the space on Sócrates Street, known as ' la calle de las nieves ' ( street of snows ), for more than 47 years. We are talking about more than five generations of families dedicated throughout our lives to the making of snows. We have preserved this artisanal process with traditional elements and tools. Ice cream is part of Oaxacan gastronomy, now as a dessert, and especially the burnt milk ice cream, which originated here," said Jorge Alberto Armengol, a traditional ice cream maker.