Volume 13, Number 2, May 1991, pp.18-21, map Conservation Training in Latin America by Suzanne Deal Booth Latin American countries have a tremendously rich and varied cultural heritage, including Precolumbian artifacts and sites; textiles, paintings and polychrome sculpture from the Spanish-Colonial period; as well as contemporary art and architecture. This vast heritage exists in a wide range of environments and conditions, from tropical rain forests in Brazil to the deserts and cold regions of Argentina, Chile and Peru. It is really quite difficult to generalize about the problems and conditions for the artistic and cultural heritage in a region as large and diverse as Latin America; however, some general observations can be made as long as we keep in mind that we are speaking of 21 independent countries spread over approximately 7,000,000 square miles12% of the earth's land surface. Many countries in Latin America have well-established policies and institutions that govern the protection of their cultural wealth. During the past twenty years, the protection of cultural property in Latin America has taken great strides, and many regional conservation centers, as well as conservation training programs, have been established. Even with these developments, Latin America's enormous and diverse cultural heritage continues to be in great need of conservation, and increasing demands are being placed on the small yet growing number of professionals in these areas, largely because funds are not always adequate for the pressing conservation tasks at hand. | |
|
