Heritage Trekking: Toward an Integrated Heritage Studies Methodology

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this paper, we propose a methodological intervention for the field of heritage studies: heritage trekking. Involving story-trekking, mapping, and data integration, heritage trekking draws from interdisciplinary approaches to develop a methodology with implications for heritage scholarship and management. We employ heritage trekking in two contrasting case studies: the Epiclassic urban center of El Tajín, Mexico and the Areni-1 Cave in Armenia. Together, the case studies demonstrate how heritage trekking elucidates uses and perceptions of heritage otherwise obscured, as well as the methodology’s broader applicability. We conclude by arguing that heritage trekking is a novel methodological contribution to heritage studies with the potential for practical applications.