Latin America has several of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Unfortunately, all this invaluable heritage has been threatened by many human actions that have affected not only the archaeological sites but also our history. The sluggish evolution of the CRM process in Ecuador in the last ten years is undoubtedly related to the complex and slow compass of the institutional and political transformations of the Latin American states. For this reason, public resources that facilitate the development of archaeological sites open to the public have not led to socially optimal situations.

One of the main problem that heritage has had to face in Ecuador is the illicit trafficking of archaeological material or also called “huaquerismo”. Members of all areas of society are involved behind this crime. In addition, the local people little or nothing know about archeological protection process (Oliveras et al. 2016). This has caused issues such as vandalism and destruction of archaeological sites. These situations means that local governments are having very little interest in cultural heritage protection. Another main problem lies in the absence of public policies that protect and value the archaeological heritage. Finally, globalization, extractivism and the erroneous idea of development have exterminated entire archaeological sites, breaking our pre-colonial history to pieces.
 

 

Who are the actors involved?

We are all important actors in the conservation and protection of our archaeological heritage. However, there are some who play more significant roles than others. There is no single public and no single past. If we are to develop a new understanding of the past, one that appreciates that complexity of its messages, then we must recognize and learn to deal with a public that is equally diverse (Molyneaux 1994:6)

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a. Government

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National laws and public policies are two fundamental supports tools when it comes to combating the destruction of heritage. The politicians make the governmental decisions that allow to act on the cultural problems. In the case of Ecuador, most of the territories are divided into municipalities, these are in turn, which must act in the first instance. In this sense if the head works well, also the body. The principal governmental institutions in Ecuador that work in cultural heritage protections are: Minister of Culture, National Institute of Cultural Heritage, House of Culture and Local Governments (they do not manage archeological sites).

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b. Communities

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Communities of many types find that archaeology benefits them in various ways. First derive from connection with people in the past and those research history benefits that derive from archeological study in the present.In that sense, Leigh Kuwanwisiwma emphasizes the need for true collaboration between living descendants and archeologist (Little:2002). In the Andean communities there is no private property, the lands are communal, the animals belong to everyone and the profits are distributed equally for each member of the community. Social cohesion in rural areas in Ecuador is very strong. In this sense, the local communities play a really important role in the management of archaeological heritage process. They protect, conserve, disseminate and value the cultural heritage. Indeed, they are the sense of the CRM.

 

c. Universities

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The academy is another important space for the development of CRM process. Without doubt, the support of theories and methodologies is necessary to measure the positive and negative impacts of management. In addition, the universities have technological tools which can support research analysis related to protect the archeological heritage.

 

d. Organizations

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The role of NGOs in recent years has not been entirely positive in Ecuador. Many organizations have been expelled to Ecuador, since their contribution has been limited to foreign observations that have nothing to do with the complex Latin American reality. However, there are still some NGOs which have contributed with important projects.

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e. Cultural managers

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This is a group of managers, activist and artists. They represent another important group for drive heritage management. Many cultural managers work independently or in small local networks. They are mostly made up by professional or passionate archeology citizens who demand compliance with local laws and public policies. Although, they are often invisible. However, in recent years cultural managers have become key actors for the protection of heritage.