The Conservation of Maya Cultural Heritage: Searching for Solutions in a Troubled Region. Parks, S., Mcanany, P. A., & Murata, S. Journal of Field Archaeology, 31(4):425–432, January, 2006.
The Conservation of Maya Cultural Heritage: Searching for Solutions in a Troubled Region [link]Paper  doi  abstract   bibtex   
Maya archaeological heritage continues to be a victim of looting, urbanization, and development despite the increased visibility of the issue within the field of archaeology. This article provides a generalized network analysis of the destruction of Maya cultural heritage in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, and EI Salvador based on interviews conducted in 2006 by the Maya Area Cultural Heritage Initiative (MACHI) with archaeologists, government officials, non-governmental organizations, and Maya leaders. According to informants, interest among local people to conserve archaeological sites has been deeply affected by a lack of education about both Maya archaeology and the national and international laws assuring protection of cultural heritage; many local people, including members of modern Maya groups, see little value in the conservation of the Precolumbian past. MACHI suggests that an effective way to mitigate looting and the wanton destruction of Maya cultural heritage is through the promotion of a variety of educational initiatives (ranging from informal to institutional, for both children and adults) that seek to combine the knowledge of Western archaeological science with indigenous ways of knowing the past. Such initiatives could encourage the construction of positive relationships between indigenous and other local peoples and archaeological remains.
@article{parks_conservation_2006,
	title = {The {Conservation} of {Maya} {Cultural} {Heritage}: {Searching} for {Solutions} in a {Troubled} {Region}},
	volume = {31},
	issn = {0093-4690},
	shorttitle = {The {Conservation} of {Maya} {Cultural} {Heritage}},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.1179/009346906791071846},
	doi = {10.1179/009346906791071846},
	abstract = {Maya archaeological heritage continues to be a victim of looting, urbanization, and development despite the increased visibility of the issue within the field of archaeology. This article provides a generalized network analysis of the destruction of Maya cultural heritage in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, and EI Salvador based on interviews conducted in 2006 by the Maya Area Cultural Heritage Initiative (MACHI) with archaeologists, government officials, non-governmental organizations, and Maya leaders. According to informants, interest among local people to conserve archaeological sites has been deeply affected by a lack of education about both Maya archaeology and the national and international laws assuring protection of cultural heritage; many local people, including members of modern Maya groups, see little value in the conservation of the Precolumbian past. MACHI suggests that an effective way to mitigate looting and the wanton destruction of Maya cultural heritage is through the promotion of a variety of educational initiatives (ranging from informal to institutional, for both children and adults) that seek to combine the knowledge of Western archaeological science with indigenous ways of knowing the past. Such initiatives could encourage the construction of positive relationships between indigenous and other local peoples and archaeological remains.},
	number = {4},
	urldate = {2020-03-25},
	journal = {Journal of Field Archaeology},
	author = {Parks, Shoshaunna and Mcanany, Patricia A. and Murata, Satoru},
	month = jan,
	year = {2006},
	pages = {425--432},
}

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