The safeguarding of Mixed Sites: from recognition to enhancement

In recent years, speaking of Cultural Heritage, the use of the term ‘mixed sites’ is being increasingly used to indicate a site where there are more values worthy of protection; mostly, we refer to areas of great naturalistic importance where archaeological emergencies are present. However, it is evident that attributing the meaning of ‘mixed site’ almost exclusively to this particular quality of coexistence, does not give the full idea of the complexity of the existing cases. Many documents drawn up by the international scientific community, such as UNESCO declarations, address the problem yet many problems still remain unresolved. From March 10 to 12, 2016, the “Primer Congreso Internacional sobre conservación de Sitios Mixtos” (First International Congress on the conservation of Mixed-Sites), was held in Puebla (Mexico), with the participation of researchers from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, Spain and Venezuela. At the end of the Congress, a final document was drawn up, the Puebla Charter1, which brings to the attention of the international community the peculiarity of these important cultural sites.