Assessing the Local, National, and Transnational Values of Honduran Heritage

Abstract

In Honduras, as in many countries, the archaeological past is considered part of the national cultural heritage. It is legally defined as national patrimony and is, therefore, under the care and protection of the state. Yet the financial and intellectual resources for managing cultural patrimony in Honduras are far outstripped by the number and complexity of sites that require attention. As a result, for decades, most research on archaeological heritage has been carried out by foreign nationals working in conjunction with the established government authority, the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History (IHAH). Increasingly, foreign nationals are being called upon to move beyond their specialized research interests and assist more directly in the operation and management of archaeological resources. This requires a shift from thinking about "archaeological" resources in a narrow sense, to thinking about "heritage" resources in a broader sense. It also implies a much more complex working environment where different value systems that ascribe meaning to so-called "heritage resources" make it difficult to distinguish a clear sense of responsibilities and priorities. Simply negotiating the terrain between local level concerns and more specialized research interests is challenging enough. But as archaeological sites and places that are publicly recognized as "heritage" increasingly become arenas for conflict among competing interests and uses, it becomes ever more important to understand the basic frameworks that generate meaning and value out of the past.