Negotiating the past and present: a critical re-evaluation of public sector tourism strategies in Teotihuacan, Mexico’s world heritage

Teotihuacán, Mexico’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, exemplifies the tensions between global heritage prestige and localized sociocultural marginalization. A critical re-evaluation of public sector tourism strategies reveals how neoliberal policies prioritize mass visitation economies over community agency in heritage management. Despite UNESCO designation enhancing Teotihuacán's scientific and symbolic capital, institutionalized 'top-down' frameworks like Mexico’s Programa Pueblos Mágicos (PPM) commodify cultural heritage, favoring infrastructural investments for tourism over inclusive development. This study employs mixed-methods, including interviews with policymakers, stakeholders, and discourse analysis of tourism legislation, to expose the paradoxical coexistence of global recognition and localized disenfranchisement.

Ortega Cabrera, V., & Esquivel Rios, S. (2025). Negotiating the past and present: a critical re-evaluation of public sector tourism strategies in Teotihuacan, Mexico’s world heritage. Interciencia. https://doi.org/10.59671/wukln