Spain's Ongoing Foreign Technical Assistance for the

Conservation of Hispanic Heritage Worldwide


 

Maria Rosa Suárez-Inclán Ducassi,
President, ICOMOS-Spain

Acknowledgements:

Both on my behalf and on behalf of ICOMOS-Spain, I am deeply grateful to US/ICOMOS for this invitation granting me the opportunity to share a common concern for cultural heritage and  to reflect together on its appropriate management.

Introduction

Although Spain is a European country, America is very close to the hearts and concerns of Spaniards. This is obviously true for Latin America, i.e., the part of America that is most directed related to the Iberian world for historical and cultural reasons. But we also share with the United States certain parts of our heritage, genuinely Spanish in origin, whose remains are preserved in numerous States.

The above reference takes on added significance if we consider that one of the fundamental values of shared heritage is undoubtedly the opportunity it offers to serve as an instrument of unity between human beings. In this way, it can become a vehicle of universal peace, cooperation and understanding through the collective memory of different peoples and, more importantly, through their emotional memory, through their feelings.

It is clear that the importance granted to heritage by society has progressed enormously in recent times. Among other achievements, it is worth mentioning the vast expansion of its conceptual content and scope, the interest shown towards its appropriate management, towards education and research in the heritage-related fields and disciplines, the concern it generates in the heart of prominent national and international organizations, both public and private, the attention given to appropriate regulation under international regulations and the internal regulations of numerous countries, the wide recognition of its collective dimension and social function, etc.

However, these achievements should not make us forget the sad reality, unfortunately, the current greater awareness and concern for heritage is not a consequence of the perfectioning of humans or a product of more or less elitist intellectual reflection. The truth is that they are the result of a reaction caused by the alarming proportions and pace of the irreparable loss of heritage that has occurred over the course of the last century and particularly over the last fifty years.

This is borne out by the pathetic opening statements of the UNESCO's 1972 Convention on World Heritage, which note the great international alarm caused by the headlong rate at which heritage is being lost. The Convention starts out by confirming that both natural and cultural heritage "are increasingly threatened with destruction not only by the traditional causes of decay, but also by changing social and economic conditions which aggravate the situation with even more formidable phenomena of damage or destruction ", and it states that "deterioration or disappearance of any item of the cultural or natural heritage constitutes a harmful impoverishment of the heritage of all the nations of the world ". The essential idea of the above Convention is the following: "The loss of any item of our universal heritage (either natural or cultural), constitutes an impoverishment of humanity as a whole," and it is based on the principle of international cooperation. The cost and complexity of conservation projects, and the rate at which heritage is disappearing as a result of economic and social pressures, makes it necessary to create an international system that will help to share the burden more equitably. These Postulates of the Convention are worth remembering given their complete applicability to the current crisis in heritage conservation and preservation, as evidenced by the abundance of conceptual rhetoric and wavering application of heritage conservation.

Many other doctrinal texts of an international nature, from the first Letter of Athens of 1931 (obviously, not Le Corbusier's), have stressed the universal meaning of heritage and broadened its conceptual horizons far beyond the tight limits set by tradition and academics. Nowadays, the heritage of any people or place in the world is clearly included under the unequivocal definition of universal culture, to which we all belong from a historic as well as a present and future perspective. The universal concept of heritage does not solely refer to items included under the World Heritage List of the UNESCO, which selects some outstanding examples to represent all others and to serve as references and model patterns of conservation, at least in theory. It also helps us to understand that we are all passengers on an irreplaceable ship and that, as such, we must become aware of the fact that we share the same, unique and unrepeatable destiny. A destiny that affects us all and for which each one of us has part of a shared responsibility. To study and reflect on the slow building and fragility of the ship we all are traveling on should be a constant point of reference in our activities.

In an age where scientific breakthroughs occur at a dizzying pace, particularly in the field of communications, and in a time where the professional interdependency is becoming synonymous with a community organized on a worldwide scale in all branches of knowledge and human activity, there is a need for concerns, solutions and efforts to become universal in their dimensions and commitments. And, Mankind has an ever greater need to work in a multidisciplinary, interdependent and global laboratory.

Humanity's heritage is the essence of our identity, or, in other words, it shows our awareness of ourselves as the links across generations for the transmission of culture and history. In this sense, it constitutes an irreplaceable spiritual resource. On the other hand, heritage has been shown to be an economic resource of great importance, capable of creating wealth and employment, but also extremely fragile and non-renewable, whose management must be included within the overall context of sustainable development. The key to success lies in cooperation, solidarity, and living together in harmony.

We all have much to learn from each other. Until we are able to comprehend that solidarity contains an essential lesson that is beneficial for all. Until we are able to say with conviction, tolerance and respect that the heritage of other peoples is my heritage and that mine is theirs.

Until we are able to assimilate in a natural and conscious way, in the context of a new cultural Renaissance capable of rescuing the deepest fundamental values for the balance of individuals and peoples, that heritage is a universal and collectively shared resource which serves to improve the quality of life of all men. In other words, heritage must serve the human being who is "the measure of all things".

In this spirit, with successes and mistakes as any human enterprise, Spain is carrying out numerous programs of technical assistance, cooperation and aid to other countries in nearly all the world, of which I will refer to the following: 

I.            Program for the Conservation of Heritage in Latin America

The principle by which heritage is a collectively shared resource that the Community is entitled to use and enjoy, and that it has the duty of preserving and transmitting, is the axis around which the activities of the Program of Conservation of Heritage in Latin America revolve. The Program has the following objectives:

      These activities are based on the following criteria:

Accordingly, this Program promotes projects of cooperation that, in accordance with the criterion of contributing to the social and economic development of peoples, are priorities for their respective governments and where there is a commitment by local institutions to provide at least 50% of project financing.

When selecting intervention projects, only cultural heritage whose importance is recognized at least on a national level will be considered.

Regarding the cultural heritage belonging to the Church or religious orders and taking into account their extent and importance, support will be given to initiatives backed by the governmental institution responsible for heritage, provided that these proposals contribute to the public use and enjoyment of the properties where the efforts and public funds are to be invested and that a guarantee for the maintenance and conservation of the property to be acted upon has been previously obtained.

As to the "age" of heritage upon which action is to be taken, the primary criterion is to select items of heritage which, because of their age, belong to our common history. Nevertheless, throughout its existence the Program has also supported projects pertaining to the Prehispanic and Republican periods, in which the outstanding cultural and historic importance worldwide of these projects, as well as the social benefits involved, has prevailed over considerations concerning their not belonging to our common history.

In the socioeconomic situation at the end of this century, the urban population has tripled in the last fifty years. In the case of Latin American, over half the population lives on the brink of abject poverty. To speak of or to invest in the conservation of heritage may appear to be an untimely luxury. Only by putting value on heritage as a socially useful and productive resource, where "productive" is understood as anything that brings benefits to a community, can we legitimately take action on heritage. And in the case of the Program discussed here, there is the added benefit brought by mutual cooperation and solidarity between Spanish and Latin American specialists.

The Program consists of three main lines of action which are complementary:

  1. Revitalization of historic center

  2. Restoration of cultural heritage

  3.  Training/Education

I.l. Revitalization of Historic Centers

In the first eighty years of the Spanish presence in America, more than 250 cities were founded in a territory extending over more than 20 million square kilometers. This cultural area is now occupied by 450 million inhabitants, of which 325 million live in cities, accounting for barely 1 % of the territory, and with one of the world's most inequitable distributions of wealth. In the current socioeconomic circumstances, it is of the utmost priority to act in the cities, where 70% of the population is concentrated, and more than half of these people lives in poverty.

The growth of Latin American cities was steady and balanced until the middle of this century. The city and its center - which in the case of Latin America cities coincides with the founding nucleus -- have lived in harmony to the extent that there was no concept of a Historic Center, as the city, its center and its history were all part of that harmony.

Starting in the sixties this balance was broken by what has been mistakenly called "progress", and a process of destruction and deterioration that led in most cases to the loss of the values that were the reason for the existence of these cities. Historic centers were transformed into other places, scarcely recognizable, where it may even be difficult to recognize one's own identity.

 The revitalization of historic centers consists of the following actions:

Preparation of a Comprehensive Revitalization Master Plan: This consists of urban planning applied to a consolidated area with unique historic and cultural characteristics, and includes the following:

Carrying out of Pilot Projects. At the same time as the Master Plan is being prepared and during the first phase of its application, a series of pilot projects will be carried out whose purpose is to initiate the process of recovery of the area. These are actions taken on historic buildings and public spaces that are recovered as city's public facilities, according to the needs identified in the socioeconomic analysis.

Creation of a Technical Office for Management of the Historic Center. A standing office maintained by local, preferably municipal, institutions and staffed by the technical specialists involved in the preparation of the Master Plan. The main functions of this Office are the preparation of the intervention projects foreseen in the Master Plan, the coordination and direction of restoration works, citizen counseling, control of the application of regulations and, in general, the management and coordination of activities carried out in the area of the historic center: Housing Development Plan, Tourist Development Plan, etc.

Participation in the Program of Revitalization Plans for Historic Centers is on request by the local institutions.

Cooperation consists of technical and financial assistance provided under the following terms and conditions:

There are two Project Directors: A Spanish Director and a Local Director.

The project team is composed of local technical experts and is multidisciplinary: Architects, historians, sociologists, lawyers, engineers, experts in tourism, etc., preferably belonging to the institutions involved in the management of the historic center and heritage conservation: city or town halls, cultural institutes, regional governments, Universities, Ministries, etc.

For financial cooperation, both during the preparation and implementation phases of the Plan, (carrying out of pilot projects and program for consolidation and restoration works) the condition of equal contributions is established, in order to encourage the commitment of local institutions in the revitalization of the historic center.

Since 1984 twenty revitalization plans have been implemented in historic centers of urban areas of special significance:

- Avenida de Mayo de Buenos Aires (Argentina)
- Historic Center of Potosi (Bolivia)
- Historic Center of Sucre (Bolivia)
- Historic Center of Joao Pessoa (Brazil)
- Barrio de Yanaconas, Popayan (Columbia)
- Murallas de Cartagena de Indias (Columbia)
- Area Estacion Mapocho, Santiago (Chile)
- Historic Center of Quito (Ecuador)
- Historic Center of Antigua (Guatemala)
- Historic Center of Quetzaltenango (Guatemala)
- Historic Center of Comayagua (Honduras)
- Historic Center of Tiacotalpan-Veracruz (Mexico)
- Historic Center of Granada (Nicaragua)
- Historic Center of Leon (Nicaragua)
- Historic Center of Asuncion (Paraguay)
- Historic Center of Ayacucho (Peru)
- Historic Center of San Juan (Puerto Rico)
- Historic Center of Ponce (Puerto Rico)
- Barrio Reus Norte de Montevideo (Uruguay)
- Historic Center of Ciudad Bolivar (Venezuela) 

Over 30 restoration or conservation works have been carried out as pilot projects with Spanish funding in 14 countries: 

Avenida de Mayo de Buenos Aires (Argentina):

- Proyecto integral de urbanizacion
- Puesta en valor de los frentes de los edifcios de interés: Reestructuración de plantas bajas

Centro Histórico de Potosí (Bolivia)

- Teatro Omiste
- Ingenio de San Marcos
- Plaza de San Marcos
- Nave de la Iglesia de la Compania (Centro Cultural y oficina del Centro historico)

Centro Historico de Sucre (Bolivia)

- Antiguo Convento de San Francisco (Centro Cultural-Sede de la Escuela-Taller) 

Centro Hist6rico de Joao Pessoa (Brazil)

- Iglesia de Sao Bento (Sala de conciertos Orquesta Joven de la Paraiba)
- Hotel Globo (Oficina de la Gobernacion del Estado de la Paraiba)
-  Antigua fabrica de vinos de caju "Tito Silva" (Sede de la Escuela-Taller)

Murallas de Cartagena de Indias (Columbia)

- Concurso publico de ideas para la rehabilitacion de las murallas
- Plaza de los Coches y Plaza de la Paz

Barrio de Yanaconas, Popayan (Columbia)

- Centro Comunal

Area Estacion Mapocho, Santiago (Chile)

- Parque de los Reyes

Centro Historico de Quito (Ecuador)

- Plaza de Santo Domingo

Centro Historico de La Antigua Guatemala (Guatemala)

- Antiguo Convento de la Compania de Jesus (Centro Iberoamericano de Formacion)

Centro Historico de Quetzaltenango (Guatemala)

- Torre y fachada de la Catedral Vieja (Espacio publico)

Centro Historico de Comayagua (Honduras)

- Museo de Arqueologia
- Catedral de Comayagua

Centro Historico de Tiacotalpan-Veracruz (Mexico)

- Mercado Municipal Nezahualcoatl

Centro Historico de Granada (Nicaragua)

- Plazoleta de los Leones, Plaza de la Independencia y Parque Colon
- Antigua Estacion de Ferrocarril ( Sede de la Escuela-Taller)

Centro Historico de Leon (Nicaragua)

- Parque Central
- Mercado Municipal

Centro Historico de Asuncion (Paraguay)

- Conjunto de la Manzana de la Ribera: Casa Viola/Clari/Mestre/Vertua/Emasa/Serra I y II Ballario/Salon Multiusos (Centro Cultural Municipal)
- Antigua estacion de Ferrocarril.

Centro Historico de Ponce (Puerto Rico)

- Mercado de Carnes
- Frentes de la Plaza de las Delicias

Centro Historico de Ciudad Bolivar (Venezuela)

- Programa de Viviendas Sociales
- Hospital de Ninos (Centro de medicina familiar)
- Parque del Zanjon (Camineria, La Escalinata, Escuela Municipal de pintura)
- Plaza Miranda.
- Antigua Prefectura (Centro de las Artes)
- Galerias del Paseo Orinoco

I.2. Restoration of Monuments and Other Valuable Objects

Restoration works of monuments correspond to actions taken on individual building of unquestionable historical and architectural value, whose use is generally of a religious or institutional nature. Frequently, the importance of these buildings is augmented by the additional value of their valuable collections of works of art (paintings, sculptures, silver objects, etc.). The value and importance of the monument are considered in their historic and cultural meanings, regardless of their period or "style".

When selecting potential restoration projects, the primary criterion is that the use of the restored building is guaranteed and that its use will be open to the public. Restoration works range from emergency and consolidation actions to guarantee the integrity of the building to those relating to rehabilitation of the building's to recover its full value.

The implementation of these projects provides an opportunity for a large number of young people to receive occupational training in the different trades relating to restoration, and a privileged occasion for these young people to become acquainted with their own heritage and learn to appreciate it as a resource they are entitled to enjoy and have the obligation to preserve.

To date, over 40 projects have been carried out in 18 different countries.

Restoration Projects:

- Misión de Loreto-Misiones (Argentina)
- Artesonado de Santa Teresa y La Merced de Potosi (Bolivia)
- Casa de la Cultura de Sucre (Bolivia)
- Misión de San Lorenzo y San Juan Bautista (Brazil)
- Museo Naval del Caribe de Cartagena de Indias (Columbia)
- Iglesia de la Merced del Alto Cauca (Columbia)
- Iglesia de San Francisco de Popayán (Columbia)
- Teatro Nacional de San José (Costa Rica)
- Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco de La Habana (Cuba)
- Fuerte de Niebla de Valdivia (Chile)
- Pukaras de Turi y Quitor de Atacama (Chile)
- Iglesias de Chiloé (Chile)
- Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador)
- Iglesia de Guapulo de Quito (Ecuador)
- Monumento a la Independencia de Quito (Ecuador)
- Antigua Catedral de Cuenca (Ecuador)
- Iglesia de Candelaria de San Salvador (E1 Salvador)
- Templo numero 1 "Gran Jaguar" de Tikal (Guatemala)
- Pirámide numero V de Tikal (Guatemala)
- Iglesia de Tecpan (Guatemala)
- Catedral de Tegucigalpa (Honduras)
- Ex-Colegio Máximo de San Pedro y San Pablo de México D.F. (Mexico)
- Castillo de la Inmaculada de Rio San Juan (Nicaragua)
- Casa Debayle de León (Nicaragua)
- Iglesia de Sutiava de León (Nicaragua)
- Aduana de Portobello (Panama)
- Misión de Jésus (Paraguay)
- Antigua Universidad de San Marcos de Lima (Peru)
- Quinta de Presa de Lima (Peru)
- Retablo de San Sebastián de Lima (Peru)
- Sacristia del Convento de San Francisco de Lima (Peru)
- Torre de la Iglesia de La Merced de Lima (Peru)
- Iglesia de la Compañía de Cuzco (Peru)
- Convento de La Merced de Cuzco (Peru)
- Torre Norte de la Catedral de Cuzco (Peru)
- Templos del Valle del Colca (Peru)
- Proyecto arqueológico de Sipan de Lambayeque (Peru)
- Tesoro de la Catedral de Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)
- Escudos de la Puerta de San Diego de Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)
- Ruinas de La Isabela (Dominican Republic)
- Museo Español en Colonia (Uruguay)

I.3. Workshop-Schools

I.3.1. Origin and Development in Spain

In Spain, the Program of Workshop-Schools and Tradecraft Houses began in 1984 on an experimental basis as a program sponsored by the National Institute for Employment (INEM). Its main objectives, within the framework of safeguarding natural and cultural heritage, were to promote employment among youths and to recover traditional tradecrafts that are dying out. To combine both efforts, a method consisting in training young craftsman through rehabilitation programs, which allowed them to work simultaneously in their trade, was implemented.

The success of this program - as a means of training and creating jobs for young people and as instrument for generating business initiatives - led to it being established on a permanent basis by the Government in 1988.

In 1993 this program was considered to be an effective instrument for international cooperation, and authorization was granted for its expansion to foreign countries through the corresponding agreements with other countries.

In addition to the above mentioned objectives (training in traditional trades and creation of employment), the program seeks the following aims:

- To assist students in recovering the level of basic education they may have lost because of leaving school,

-  To promote the creation of new professions and sources of employment linked to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage,

-  To create a dynamic social environment through comprehensive local development programs that allows optimal use of available resources.

The request to set up a Workshop-School and its direct management are the responsibility of the local corporations, public institutions and non-profit organizations. Depending on the case, the INEM grants its approval of the project, provides technical assistance, carries out evaluation and follow-up activities, and provides the necessary financial assistance by means of subsidies. This ensures permanent cooperation between the private and public sectors.

This program aims to cover three lacks of young people who are unemployed, living outside of mainstream society or who have withdrawn from educational system. For this purpose, over a two-year period they are provided with theoretical and practical training, work experience (by a work contract at six months from entry into the program), and information about the job market. The latter covers both job-seeking techniques for employment by a company and business strategies and expertise for self employment.

During the first six-month training period, students are entitled to receive the grants established in the "National Plan for Training and Occupational Placement" as well as accident insurance. During the second eighteen-month period, their training is completed by alternating periods of training with work and occupational practice. To make this possible, they are hired under a "training contract" and are paid a salary. The INEM covers all expenses for both periods, including Social Security quotas during the second period, expenses relating to teaching staff, the director, support personnel, educational materials, school supplies and consumables, etc, any other specific expenses relating to the hiring of technical specialists and support personnel, and the operational expenses of any Support Units that may be created. It also covers any expenses arising from the exchange of participants with other countries and those which result from the INEM's participation in European programs.

Training and operating expenses are co-financed by the European Social Fund, but not the salaries paid to the "student workers".

Specific programs are organized for student workers belonging to a Workshop-School who do not meet the required level of general education set out by Law on the General Organization of the Educational System (LOGSE) of 1990. These programs are designed to provide them with a basic education and occupational training that will enable them to become an active member of society or to pass the entrance examination that will allow them to can continue their studies in the different fields of study considered under this Law. Specific agreements may be established between the institutions responsible for Education and Culture and those of Labor and Social Affairs for this purpose.

Teaching staff will be multidisciplinary in nature (historians, architects, lawyers, archeologists, geographers, biologists, economists, etc, as well as craftsmen from various trades). As to the training areas offered by the program, the most important occupational areas are construction, the environment and gardening, carpentry and community services, each of which is divided into many specialties.

The methodological approaches of the Workshop-Schools establish a teacher-student ratio of 1:8 and create a dynamic environment where classes combining both theory and practice are conducted in an active and participative manner, granting primary importance to the development of creative attitudes and individual autonomy, and putting aside the view that the student is a mere gatherer of abstract knowledge disconnected from reality. In the restoration and conservation works carried out by the Workshop-School, training is based on methods of demonstration, deduction and discovery, which allow individualized and continuous assessment.

The theoretical content of the training programs is adapted to each specific experience, but cover the basic knowledge required by each occupation or trade. This method assures that the student adapt gradually to the working environment of a company, to working under the constraints of available resources and schedules, and productivity. It is rewarding to see the improvement in self image, job perspectives and integration into society achieved by providing these young people with real and useful jobs within the community where they live.

The Workshop-Schools also provide a framework for teaching staff, techniques, and methodologies to be continuously perfected and updated. In addition, they require constant imagination to find new projects that foster the creation of sources of employment and wealth by sustained and comprehensive development of the territory. This development should be planned so that it will continue when the Workshop-School is no longer functioning.

A key element in the teaching staff is the monitors, experts in different occupations or trades, who have been previously trained to carry out their teaching duties effectively.

As the Workshop-Schools are not only training centers, but also work centers, safety and hygiene measures are applied which involve both carrying out specific activities and acquiring knowledge about hazard prevention. This involves awareness courses for managerial staff and courses on the prevention of specific hazards by occupational areas for monitors, as well as course on skills and attitudes for students (such as the use of preventive and protective measures against job hazards and contaminating materials and their effects). This results in a "Prevention Plan" being prepared for each case.

The INEM conducts continuous monitoring and supervision of project management, and an annual system of "Evaluation of the Results of Occupational Placement" by means of questionnaires prepared at six and twelve months from the completion of each project. There is also a "System for Systematic and Continual Evaluation" complementing the above measures. These instruments aid in the approval of fixture projects and help to improve the quality of the programs.

In order to provide technical assistance to Workshop-Schools, "Promotion and Development Units" were created that evaluate the projects by analyzing the employment potential of the region and preparing comprehensive sustainable development plans. They also provide technical assistance, are in charge of the hiring of specialists and young people under 25 years of age, plan strategies to discover employment opportunities in their territory, collaborate in the evaluation of results, etc.

When it becomes apparent that certain individuals are capable of starting their own business, the entities sponsoring the Workshop-Schools should provide them with the appropriate instruments to start up their business. "Center for Business Initiatives" will be created for this purpose. The activities of this center will be to detect initiatives and work opportunities, provide technical assistance, collaborate in the search for financial assistance, provide suitable premises for initial installations, offer common services in the administration of new businesses, etc. These centers also provide assistance in job seeking for employment by third parties.

On completion of the programs, the student workers receive a certificate of studies certifying the training hours, specialty, qualification obtained, etc. This certificate, in addition to helping them to integrate into the workforce, qualifies them, partially, to apply for validation of their studies under the General Education System (as the Occupational Certificate established by the National Plan for Training and Occupational Placement, Occupational Training under the LOGSE, etc.). Separately from this, the INEM can issue a Diploma indicating the training modules taught and their duration.

I.3.2. Workshop-Schools in Latin America

The successful functioning of the Program of Workshop-Schools in Spain as an effective instrument for promoting employment among young people and generating business initiatives through vocational training alternated with work and occupational practice, and as a formula to improve the quality of life of the cities and peoples where it operates, encouraged the transfer of this experiences to Latin American countries.

Complete agreement on the criteria and objectives for the protection of heritage have made it possible to start up 27 Workshop-Schools in 16 different countries, where since seven years ago more than 3,000 Latin American youth people aged 16-25 years with scant financial resources have received training.

These are vocational training centers for young people with limited financial resources where they receive training to qualify them to practice traditional trades that have fallen into disuse in standard building practice, and which are essential for the rehabilitation of buildings or monuments that are part of their heritage. Teaching consists of theory taught in the classroom and practice acquired by carrying out practical assignments in rehabilitation works, in trades such as masonry, painting, forging, electricity, plumbing, carpentry, gardening, stained-glass windows, etc.

The following conditions must be met for a Workshop-School to be created:

-      a restoration work exists with a plan of execution and financing where the students can take their practical classes
-     premises are available for the Workshop-School with sufficient space for classrooms, workshops, materials storerooms, canteen, etc.

Taking into account that during their training period students perform a job, this is paid as such, and they receive a scholarship-salary whose amount is set according to the minimum wages of each country. All students are hired, and as workers are entitled to receive Social Security, aids, etc.

All staff at the Workshop-School is local. The local hiring institution is usually the city or town council.

The AECI (Spanish Agency for International Cooperation) supports the creation and subsequent maintenance of the Schools by proving funds for the salaries of staff (managerial, teaching and clerical) and materials and operating expenses, while the institution which is the local counterpart is responsible for payment of the student-related expenses.

In some cases, financing of works is provided by a local institution other than the institution which is the local counterpart in the Workshop-School.

The creation of a Workshop-School starts with the presentation of a project by the institution that is the local counterpart (usually the city or town council), identified as the "Memory", in which the characteristics of the School are specified (number of students and workshops, training program, socioeconomic study, etc.). This project is submitted to the Technical Office for Cooperation and is evaluated by the Program for the Conservation of Heritage in Madrid.

There are Workshop-Schools are located in Leon and Granada (Nicaragua), Ciudad Bolivar (Venezuela), San Juan and Ponce (Puerto Rico), Santiago (Chile), Asuncion and Concepcion (Paraguay), Joao Pessoa and Salvador (Brazil), Quito I, Quito II and Cuenca (Ecuador), La Habana (Cuba), Potosi and Sucre (Bolivia), Antigua and Quetzaltenango (Guatemala), Lima and Cuzco (Peru), Cartagena de Indias, Popayan and Mompox (Columbia), Mexico D.F. (Mexico), Comayagua (Honduras) and Suchitoto (El Salvador).

The Program of Workshop-Schools in Latin America is a program of cooperation co-financed by the AECI and the Latin American counterpart institutions since I995.

I.4. Spanish and Latin American Institutions Collaborating with the Program for the Conservation of Heritage in Latin America

I.4.1. Spanish Institutions

Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores:
-  Agencia Espanola de Cooperacion Internacional. (Instituto de          Cooperacion Iberoamericana)
-  Direccion General de Relaciones Culturales y Cientificas.

Ministerio de Cultura:
-  Direccion General de Bellas Artes y Archivos y de Conservacion y Restauracion de Bienes Culturales

Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social:
-  Instituto Nacional de Empleo (INEM)
-  Consorcio de la Ciudad de Santiago de Compostela
-  Diputacion de Huelva

Junta de Castilla y Leon:
-  Centro de Conservacion y Restauracion de Bienes Culturales de Castilla y Leon.

I.4.2. Latin American Institutions

ARGENTINA

- Intendencia Municipal de Buenos Aires
- Comision Nacional de Turismo
- Ministrio de Misiones
- Subsecretaria de Cultura

BOLIVIA

- Instituto Boliviano de Cultura
- Corporacion para el Desarrollo de Potosi
- Alcaldia de Potosi
- Alcaldia de Sucre
- Proyecto Sucre Ciudad Universitaria
- Prefectura del Departamento de Chuquisaca
- Prefectura del Departamento de Potosi

BRAZIL

-   Ministerio de Cultura
-   Ministerio de Educacion y Deportes
-   Instituto de Patrimonio Historico y Artistico Nacional (IPHAN)
-   Gobernacion del Estado de Paraiba
-   Prefectura Municipal de Joao Pessoa
-   Universidad Federal de Bahia
-   Fundacion de Apoio a Pesquisa e Extensao

COLUMBIA

- Ministerio de Cultura
- Instituto Colombiano de Cultura
- Instituto Nacional de Vias
- Gobernacion del Departamento de Bolivar
- Gobernacion del Departamento del Cauca
- Alcaldia de Cartagena
- Alcaldia de Popayan
- Alcaldia de Santa Cruz de Mompox
- Servicio General de Aprendizaje

COSTA RICA

- Ministerio de Cultura

CHILE

- Municipio de Santiago
- Ministerio de Obras Publicas
- Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales
- Universidad de Antofagasta

CUBA

- Ministerio de Cultura de la Republica de Cuba
- Oficina del Historiador de La Habana
- Gobierno de la Ciudad de La Habana
- Comite Estatal de Colaboracion Economica de la Republica de Cuba

ECUADOR

- Municipio de Quito
- Municipio de Cuenca
- Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural del Ecuador 

EL SALVADOR

- Ministerio de Educacion
- Concultura
- Municipio de Suchitoto
- Instituto Salvadoreno de Formacion

GUATEMALA

- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes
- Consejo Nacional para la Proteccion de la Antigua Guatemala
- Instituto de Antropologia e Historia de Guatemala
- Alcaldia de Quetzaltenango

HONDURAS

- Comision Pro-Restauracion de la Catedral de Tegucigalpa
- Instituto Hondureno de Antropologia e Historia

 MEXICO

- Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia (INAH)
- Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA)
- Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
- Gobierno del Estado de Veracruz
- Municipio de Tiacotalpan

 NICARAGUA

- Ministerio de Cooperacion Externa
- Instituto Nicaragiiense de Cultura
- Alcaldia de Granada
- Asociacion de Municipios del Rio San Juan
- Alcaldia de Leon

PANAMA

- Instituto Nacional de Cultura

PERU

- Instituto Nacional de Cultura del Peru
- Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos
- Museo Nacional Bruning Lambayeque
- Instituto Nacional de Cultura de la Region lnka del Peru
- Gobierno de la Region lnka

PUERTO RICO

- Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueiia
- Oficina Estatal de Preservacion Historica
- Municipio de Ponce
- Municipio de San Juan

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

- Direccion Nacional de Parques
- Oficina de Patrimonio Cultural

URUGUAY

- Intendencia Municipal de Montevideo
- Consejo Ejecutivo Honorario de las obras de Preservacion de la Antigua Colonia del Sacramento

VENEZUELA

- Gobierno del Estado Bolivar
- Corporacion Venezolana de Guayana
- Ministerio de Desarrollo Urbano
- Consejo Nacional de la Cultura
- Municipio del Distrito Heres (Ciudad Bolivar)

I.5. Program Address

Agencia Espanola de Cooperación Internacional (AECI)
Programa de Preservacion del Patrimonio Cultural en Iberoamerica
Reyes Catolicos, 4 - 28040 Madrid. Tel. (34) 9I 583 82 88 -Fax (34) 91583 83 25
E-mail: <elvira.tejedor@aeci.es>

Information about scholarships, courses, aid for NGOs and complete information about the basic services provided by Spanish programs of cooperation can be found at: www.aeci.es

II. Other Programs

Several Spanish institutions carry out other cooperation and aid programs for the conservation and rehabilitation of cultural heritage both in Latin American and the rest of the world.

For example, several regional institutions, such as the Andalusian Institute of Heritage of the Autonomous Government of Andalusia (Council of Andalusia), participate in recovery and rehabilitation programs, such as the Malecon de La Habana (Cuba), etc.

The Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI), in addition to the Institute for Latin American Cooperation (ICI) has another Institute dedicated to the Mediterranean, Developing Countries and the Arab World (ICMA, M, PD), which includes General Subdirectorates specifically assigned to Western, Central and Eastern Africa, Mediterranean and Arab countries, and South Africa, America and Oceania.

These and other government institutions conduct programs similar to those described for Latin America in northern African countries, especially in former Spanish cities and monuments, as in Morocco. In countries of the Maghreb, investments and activities are similar to those carried out in America. There are also important aid and cooperation programs and projects concerning cultural heritage in Arab countries such as Jordan and others.

There are also cooperation programs with Russia for the conservation of Orthodox churches and with other countries of Eastern Europe, such as Bulgaria; for the conservation of monuments and promotion of cultural routes. In addition, assistance is provided to various countries with economic difficulties to help them with material and technical resources to prepare the dossiers for candidate heritage sites or properties they are seeking to have included on the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.

There are several programs and projects dedicated to cooperation in the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage of Spanish origin in the Philippines, in which other academic institutions participate. The Ministry of Education and Culture, through the General Directorate of Cooperation and Cultural Communication, has made an inventory of Hispanic heritage, particularly former fortifications in the islands of the Pacific, such as, for example, the Mariana Islands and the Caroline Islands; an exhibition of this inventory will open in the near future at the Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo. The next step will be to carry out a series of conservation and rehabilitation works on the above Hispanic heritage. For this purpose, a list of emblematic projects based on the inventory has been prepared.

Many other public or private Spanish institutions (such as universities, foundations, academic or research centers, etc.) collaborate in international cooperation tasks to safeguard heritage.

Regarding the ICOMOS, the Spanish Committee (CNE) has since several years ago shown a strong commitment to international cooperation, intercultural dialogue, mutual recognition and respect, and, in short, to universal solidarity between the peoples of the world. To achieve this aim, it holds international seminars, symposia, and conferences, promotes cooperation between various professionals, countries and regions of the world, and encourages solidarity involving the dimension opened by the new concept of cultural itineraries. The CNE collaborates both with national and international as well as public and private institutions in the development of educational and research programs. It also participates on a continuous basis in other international institutional and scientific meetings, presenting conferences, papers, etc. It also carries out continuous follow-up, evaluation and counseling activities concerning the conservation of heritage monuments, buildings or sites, especially those declared world heritage, of which there are 30 in Spain. The CNE cooperates actively with the Scientific Committee of Cultural Itineraries of the ICOMOS based on the firm belief that these itineraries are effective in helping to reinforce the common interest in heritage, cooperation and solidarity.

For ICOMOS-Spain, and for numerous Spanish authorities and educational institutions, a project of great interest would be cooperation between the United States, Spain and Mexico for the revitalization of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (Royal Inland Highway), extending from the City of Mexico to Santa Fe in the State of New Mexico. Both the authorities and the Committees of US/ICOMOS and ICOMOS-Spain have taken the first positive steps in this direction. It is to be expected that this project will become a reality.

As I said previously, for Spain, the United States is also a country with which there are special cultural ties in the field of historical and cultural heritage, as it possesses noteworthy examples of heritage of Spanish origin in numerous States, such as the Jesuit and Franciscan missions, some cities and towns, old forts, ranches, churches, etc. For this reason, the Spanish National Committee always invites members of the US/ICOMOS to attend its congresses, and is highly honored to work with you on a bi-national, Iberian-American, and a universal level.

 

 

Bibliography:

AECI.   "Programa de Preservacion del Patrimonio Cultural en Iberoamerica, I984-1987". Agencia Espanola de Cooperacion Internacional. Secretaria de Estado para la Cooperacion Internacional y para Iberoamerica. Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores. Madrid,1997.

INEM. "De Rehabilitacion y Restauracion del Patrimonio Artistico, Cultural y Natural", en Guia para la creacion de Escuelas Taller. Instituto Nacional de Empleo, Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social. Madrid,1986.

INEM. Escuelas-Taller y Casas de Oficios. Secretaria General de Empleo y Relaciones Laborales. Instituto Nacional de Empleo. Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social. Madrid,1988.

INEM. "Formacion de Formadores", en Programa de Escuelas Taller y Casas de Ofrcios. Instituto Nacional de Empleo. Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social. Madrid,1996.

MTSS. "Un programa de formacion y empleo parajovenes en paro", en Escuelas-Taller,1987. Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social. Madrid,1987.

MTSS. "De la Escuela-Taller al Autoempleo", en Cooperativas de Trabajo Asociado y Sociedades Anonimas Laborales. Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social. Madrid,1989.

MTSS. Escuelas Taller y Casas de Oficios. Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social. Madrid,1990

Idem id.1993.

Idem id.1995