Interpretative analysis of the impact of tourism on traditional cultural heritage. Tepoztlan, Mexico

Abstract

As a promoter and enhancer of socio-cultural changes tourism is progressively influencing the construction of the daily life of human populations. This is particularly noticeable in those labor niches that interact more directly with the variability of tourism. Such is the case of artisanal activity in constant resignification from the artisan’s own cultural paradigms and the buyer’s demand trends. This article seeks to describe the impacts of tourism on the existing cultural heritage in Tepoztlán, Mexico from an interpretative perspective. To accomplish this, an ethnographic research method has been used, which provides information about the existing impacts on this heritage from the perspective of the different local agents. In this context, the multifaceted role of tourism is recognized in the construction of the artisanal activity and the influence on the craft itself, both on the forms of commerce and the economic situation of artisans and on certain production processes, seen as a potential opportunity for local development or a recurrent problem depending on the characteristics of each social agent.