Abstract

VILLALOBOS ACOSTA, César. ¿Por qué en Sonora no hay arqueología? Nacionalismo y turismo en billetes de banco y folletos de viaje. Región y sociedad [online]. 2014, vol.26, n.59, pp.215-253. ISSN 2448-4849.

Mexico's archaeological heritage is significant, although not all sites are equally valued. It is thought that archaeology exists only where there are monumental ruins such as pyramids, and that their absence means there is no archaeology. The first notion dominates in the Mayan region of Mesoamerica, while the latter dominates in Sonora. This article aims to demonstrate that this is a consequence of the unequal utilization of archaeology for the purposes of nationalism and the tourism market. A comparison is made between two culturally and geographically distinct sites: the Mayan site of Tulum in Quintana Roo and the Cerro de Trincheras [Trincheras Hill] in Sonora. The analysis is based on the fourth issue of the Bank of Mexico's banknotes, as well as on the Tourism Ministry's official brochures for tourism promotion. The simplicity of the phrase in northern Mexico there is no archaeology actually summarizes the selective success the ruling class has had in managing Mexico's pre-Hispanic heritage. The article concludes that archaeology is a parallel project of post-revolutionary nationalism and tourism.

Keywords : archaeology; nationalism; tourism; post-revolution; banknotes; brochures; Tulum; Trincheras.

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