The guanajuato lowlands: ultra-baroque architecture and cultural tourism as mechanisms for heritage preservation
Abstract
This article analyzes the ultra-Baroque architecture of the Bajío region of Guanajuato, the Highlands of Jalisco, and Aguascalientes as a complex cultural manifestation that emerged in the 18th century within the context of the mining, agricultural, and commercial boom in New Spain. Using an interdisciplinary approach that integrates architectural history, reception theory, symbolic anthropology, and heritage and tourism studies, this architectural language is interpreted not as a simple European derivation, but as the result of local processes of appropriation and reinterpretation. The study demonstrates that religious architecture in New Spain functioned as a symbolic system capable of articulating power, devotion, and Creole identity, incorporating Indigenous, European, and African elements. It also highlights its role as a pedagogical and social cohesive tool within the framework of the Counter-Reformation and the transformations resulting from the Bourbon Reforms. In the contemporary context, the research emphasizes the potential of cultural tourism as a tool for the revaluation and conservation of heritage, proposing thematic routes that integrate architecture, landscape, and regional identity. The importance of heritage education, community participation, and sustainability as cornerstones for balanced management is emphasized. In conclusion, ultra-Baroque architecture is presented as a living heritage that, in addition to its historical and aesthetic value, offers opportunities for economic development and the construction of identities in the present.
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