Characterization of typologies of representation through virtual Ethnography. The Purépecha roads in the Patzcuaro lake region as a heritage corridor

Abstract

Roads have recently begun to be valued as a heritage resource that transcends being considered solely as an infrastructure linked to the anthropization of the territory. Currently, there are few methodological proposals for their heritage characterization. Therefore, this article shows the design and application of an interdisciplinary methodology supported by Virtual Ethnography and based on a historical-cartographic analysis that allows recording and categorizing representation typologies associated with the evolution of roads. The lake region of Patzcuaro, Mexico, is taken as a case study. Its historical-cartographic analysis through virtual ethnography allows identifying typologies of representation associated not only with the historical evolution of roads but also with their ties to the anthropization of the lake setting. The cartography, in the contemporary period, shows roads as a mere infrastructure and makes the lake villages visible as separate pieces for cultural tourism. With the application of this methodology, it is confirmed that cartography is a strategic tool and that its evolution has made it possible to establish that, historically, roads have been a backbone in the management and development of this territory in different historical processes. Its validity is a reflection of the fact that this region is still valid, given its current transfer to cultural tourism. It is important to make visible that it is these populations as a whole that confer a cultural identity to the lake region and that the roads are the means that have allowed this territory to evolve historically considering the needs of its population, a situation that justifies its consideration as a heritage corridor.