“The State does not impose culture: it facilitates its emergence from communities.”

Angel Vargas

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, July 18, 2025, p. 2

The creation of the Strategic Unit for Living Cultures, Intangible Heritage, and Interculturality (UCVPII) does not imply the disappearance of any area or entity of the federal Ministry of Culture (SC), said Diego Prieto Hernández, who last Wednesday was appointed head of this new government initiative, leaving behind a nine-year tenure at the head of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

The General Directorate of Popular, Indigenous, and Urban Cultures is not disappearing, but rather reorganizing it and giving it greater strength , the anthropologist stated in an interview with La Jornada.

The building blocks of this unit are essentially the General Directorate of Popular Cultures and the areas of cultural and community engagement. Nothing is being destroyed; it is being rebuilt and a new institutional framework is being constructed.

He reiterated what was published yesterday in these pages, stating that this new institution will form a virtuous triangle with the INAH and the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL): The former will address monumental heritage; the latter, artistic heritage; and we, living heritage. This coordination is key to cultural policy .

He also recalled President Claudia Sheinbaum's insistence that this unit promote a reinvention of the National Institute of Indigenous Languages (Inali) and work closely with it, because language cannot be preserved without culture .

He also said that she was entrusted with a very close relationship with the National Fund for the Promotion of Handicrafts (Fonart), since the president is very interested in strengthening artisanal work and functions .

Prieto Hernández explained that the newly created body will have four main functions: to investigate, promote, safeguard, and disseminate the living cultural expressions of our communities .

He clarified that, unlike the INAH, this research will not be academic, or not just academic, but participatory, where communities are not the object of study, but active subjects .

Regarding the task of promotion, he emphasized: the State does not impose culture, but rather facilitates its emergence from within the communities , while regarding safeguarding he explained that it is not about preserving it in a static way as with a pyramid, but rather about creating conditions so that traditions such as dances or songs continue to be renewed generationally .

In terms of dissemination, he clarified that he will seek to coordinate efforts with other agencies to bring these expressions to more Mexicans , while always respecting their community origins. It's not folklore: it's transformative everyday life .

Regarding the UCVPII's hierarchical status, he specified that it is above a general directorate and below a sub-secretariat ; he reaffirmed that it will have two general directorates: one technical and one for territorial action, focused on participatory research and community work.

When asked about the budget, he acknowledged that there is no specific allocation pre-conceived for this new instance of the SC, but he was confident that the funds will arrive as the work is accredited .

▲ Last Wednesday, Diego Prieto was appointed head of the Strategic Unit for Living Cultures, Intangible Heritage, and Interculturality. Photo by Marco Peláez

Prieto Hernández emphasized that this new unit will prioritize safeguarding traditions —not conservation, since what is living changes —and projects like México Canta, launched by the federal government, in which people reinvent their culture, not the State .

He summarized that, in a way, it's about recapturing the profound Mexico of Guillermo Bonfil Batalla. We're not inventing a panacea; we're simply revisiting existing approaches. The history of this country began centuries ago; we're not inventing it .

Multiple achievements

Regarding his nine years at the helm of the INAH, Prieto defended his administration in the face of allegations of the institute's precariousness and its role in megaprojects such as the Mayan Train, asserting that, despite budgetary difficulties, the institute managed to consolidate itself and recover its social and popular DNA .

He recalled that, in 2016, the INAH was on the verge of collapse due to the transition—since late 2015—from the Ministry of Public Education to the newly created Ministry of Culture, which generated a historic deficit. There wasn't enough money to pay the payroll in December of that year , he admitted.

He mentioned among its achievements the promulgation of the Regulations of the INAH Organic Law in 2021—pending since 1939—the reconstruction of more than 2,300 monuments damaged by the 2017 earthquakes, and its participation in priority projects such as the Mayan Train, the National Reconstruction Program, and Chapultepec. The institute recovered its Cardenista imprint, its social vision of heritage , he affirmed.

Regarding accusations that the INAH put political interests before the protection of heritage during the construction of the Mayan Train, the anthropologist was forceful: "I categorically deny it: it is not true that heritage has been sacrificed ," and he attributed these criticisms to the political opposition to the government.

He explained that these archaeological salvage efforts not only followed the Archaeology Council's protocols, but also revolutionized methodologies.

The rescue coordinator, Manuel Pérez Rivas, will undoubtedly one day be recognized as someone who revolutionized archaeological rescue methodologies, which preceded and followed the Mayan Train.

In response to worker protests over cutbacks and the deterioration of museums, the official acknowledged the shortcomings but attributed them to an accumulated deficit. "In 2016, there was already a precarious situation. It's not like it was a haven before and we destroyed it ," he said. He mentioned that the COVID pandemic worsened the situation by reducing ticket sales and cutting funding, but emphasized that layoffs had been avoided.

Regarding salaries, he clarified that rank-and-file employees maintained their rights, although he admitted that middle management and temporary staff face difficult conditions.

One very nice thing about INAH is that there will always be debate, but deep down, I say, we love each other very much , he concluded.

Eirinet Gómez

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, July 18, 2025, p. 3

Supported by the country's community of archaeologists and anthropologists, emeritus researcher Jorge Angulo Villaseñor was honored on his centenary, which fell yesterday. In a discussion held in the Jaime Torres Bodet auditorium of the National Museum of Anthropology, his colleagues hailed him as the lord of the town of Teotihuacan and the Midas of archaeology, because everything he touches becomes knowledge .

Today we joyfully celebrate the life and centenary of Jorge Angulo, whom I dare to call the lord of the town of Teotihuacan , said Moisés Leonel Durán Solís, of the Founders of Mexican Anthropology Seminar (SFAM), organizer of the event.

We celebrate his career in the pursuit of knowledge, his efforts to decipher the enigmas of the past and pass them on as lessons. Honoring his life is recognizing the wise archaeologist who unearths time and delivers it to the present, for the sake of the future , he added.

Pioneering work in conservation

Angulo Villaseñor is an archaeologist and emeritus researcher at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), recognized for his extensive experience studying Teotihuacan and his pioneering work in archaeological conservation. His most notable works include the reconstruction of the Temple of Quetzalcoatl in Teotihuacan; his leadership of the conservation project in Xochicalco, Morelos; and his participation in the restoration of the Templo Mayor.

Diego Prieto Hernández, former director of the INAH and new head of the Strategic Unit for Living Cultures, Intangible Heritage, and Interculturality (UCVPII) of the federal Ministry of Culture (SC), emphasized that Angulo Villaseñor has supported the institute for 70 of the 86 years of its existence.

"This is a historic event for the INAH. Never has a colleague of ours, a researcher, a Mexican anthropologist, surpassed 100 years of youth and been active in the same capacity as we find him here: surrounded by the affection, admiration, and appreciation of all his colleagues ," he mentioned.

Prieto Hernández highlighted his work on the excavations at Tepeapulco and La Nopalera Cave in Hidalgo; Yagul and Zaachila in Oaxaca; Tlatelolco in Mexico City; and several sites in Guerrero and Morelos. He also mentioned his work as the first director of the INAH Regional Center, in addition to directing the Cuauhnáhuac Museum.

He has been a mentor to generations of archaeologists, a distinguished and generous teacher, and a prolific researcher. Jorge Angulo is, without a doubt, a key figure at the INAH and an indispensable reference for understanding the evolution of Mexican archaeology in the second half of the 20th century , the anthropologist added.

▲ Jorge Angulo Villaseñor's most notable works include the reconstruction of the Temple of Quetzalcoatl in Teotihuacan; his leadership of the conservation project in Xochicalco, Morelos; and his participation in the restoration of the Templo Mayor. Photo by Marco Peláez

Rodolfo Candelas Castañeda, director of the Regional Museum of the Peoples of Morelos, said that Angulo Villaseñor was a key figure in the creation of the museum that today preserves the heritage of the people of Morelos.

One of the most obvious consequences of creating this space, he said, was preventing many pieces from being scattered throughout the halls of the National Museum of Anthropology.

Fifty-one years after its founding, the museum boasts a significant heritage collection, comprised of objects provided by researchers affiliated with the INAH Morelos Center , he said. At 100 years old, Jorge Angulo has a vivacity, lucidity, and energy that many people twice his age would love to have , he celebrated.

Jose Daniel Flores Gutiérrez, of the Astronomy Institute at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), recalled that Angulo Villaseñor once called him for help interpreting some traces of paint on the ground, but he couldn't give him a satisfactory answer. Later, the anthropologist wrote that it was a painting that depicted constellations.

He is the Midas of anthropology, because he turns everything he touches into knowledge , Flores Gutiérrez noted.

Outstanding restorer and profound iconographer

María Noemí Castillo Tejero, emeritus researcher at the National Archaeology Coordination (CNA), emphasized that more than an archaeologist, Angulo Villaseñor was also an outstanding restorer, a committed civil servant, and a profound iconographer. Although he carried out important excavation work, much of his legacy lies in heritage restoration, work that seems to have been somewhat lost today .

Castillo Tejero mentioned Chappie Angulo Chapman, the anthropologist's partner, with whom he formed a partnership: "Jorge cannot understand himself without Chappie, his inseparable companion. Today we also recognize the human being who has lived intensely, who represents 100 years of fruitful life ," he added.

Lucid and attentive from the center of the presidium, Jorge Angulo Villaseñor followed each intervention by his colleagues and friends. "I'm almost moved to tears by all the expressions of friendship from those who spoke from the heart ," commented the honoree, who handed out hugs and closed the event with a lecture on a text of pre-Hispanic reliefs he is currently working on, with the support of an assistant.

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of an award from the INAH for his love of life and Mexican anthropology, as an artist, sculptor, museographer, field archaeologist, writer and great emeritus researcher .

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, July 18, 2025, p. 3

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced that archaeologist Anna Goycoolea Artís has been appointed the new national coordinator of INAH Centers. She will also remain in charge of the Archaeological Sites Improvement Program (Promeza).

In a statement, the organization reported that its director general, Joel Omar Vázquez Herrera, made this appointment due to the outstanding work he has done as director of the INAH Yucatán Center ; at the same time, he was tasked with creating an institute open to its researchers, staff, students, and citizens .

Goycoolea Artís holds a degree in archaeology from the National School of Anthropology and History and an international postgraduate degree in community-based cultural policies. She specializes in international legislation, creative management, public policies, and strategies for the protection, interpretation, and dissemination of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. She is also the author, along with María del Carmen Castillo Cisneros, of the column "Causes of Time," published weekly in La Jornada Maya.

She was Director of Regional and Municipal Development at the General Directorate of Popular Cultures and a Mexican delegate to United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) conventions. She has also served as a representative to the Regional Center for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Latin America, based in Cusco, Peru, and in charge of the Culture Department at the Mexican Consulate in Barcelona, Spain.

Since June 2023, he has directed the INAH Yucatán Center, where he promoted the opening of educational spaces, such as the Great Museum of Chichén Itzá in Pisté; the Peninsular Athenaeum in Mérida; and the Visitor Center at the Dzibilchaltún archaeological site.

He oversaw the restoration of iconic Mérida buildings: the Juan Gamboa Guzmán Art Gallery, the Cantón Palace (home of the Regional Museum of Anthropology of Yucatán), the Felipe Carrillo Puerto Obelisk, and the Justo Sierra O'Reilly Monument, as well as the José Peón Contreras Theater—works that continue. He established the Acércate al INAH program, strengthening the relationship between the institute and society.

He supported the restoration of the former Sisal Maritime Customs House, which will be converted into a museum and research center, as part of a program to protect underwater cultural heritage. It is expected to become a Category 2 regional center sponsored by UNESCO.

▲ The volume offers a chronological overview of three of the painter's key murals: Diptych of Life (1941), Television (1959), and Liberation (1963). Photo courtesy of the Jenkins Foundation .

Eirinet Gómez

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, July 18, 2025, p. 4

More than a means of exploring his work, the catalog for the exhibition Jorge González Camarena: The Unfinished Utopia is a tool to support debates surrounding conservation, memory, and even the role of art in public and private spaces. The publication was presented this Wednesday at the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, where the eponymous exhibition is on display, as part of the 45th anniversary of the artist's death.

"This volume will allow new audiences to gain a deeper understanding of González Camarena's work. It's not just a matter of saying, 'There's a very beautiful painting, or a very powerful one,' but rather it allows us to explain the reason for the piece and its context," said Jorge González Camarena Barré de Saint-Leu, son of the renowned painter.

In an interview with La Jornada after the presentation of the volume on the museum's second-floor mezzanine , right in front of her mural Liberation (1963), one of the curatorial focuses of the exhibition, she celebrated the large attendance: "Whenever there's an event focused on my father's work, it's a full house. It's a source of pride that so many people are interested in his work. Ten years ago, a record attendance was recorded at the opening of one of her exhibitions, and in the daily visits, only Frida Kahlo beat her ."

González Camarena (1908-1980) was one of the most representative artists of the second generation of muralists in Mexico. At the Academy of San Carlos, he was an assistant to Gerardo Murillo, Dr. Atl; his works captured universal, nationalist, and historical themes.

Essays and lectures

The work catalog offers a chronological overview of three key murals in the artist's career: Diptych of Life (1941), Television (1959), and Liberation (1963). It also includes a transcript of the lecture "Toward Integral Plastic Arts, " which the painter gave in 1966 upon entering the Mexican Culture Seminar.

It also brings together images of all the works exhibited in the exhibition The Unfinished Utopia, at the Museum of the Palace of Fine Arts, and integrates some pieces that participate in the exhibition Beyond Monumentality, at the Diego Rivera Mural Museum, presented simultaneously this 2025.

Among the texts, the essay Two Controversies Around the Mural Diptych of Life, by historian Ariadna Patiño Guadarrama, stands out, where she addresses the work carried out for the Guardiola Building of the Bank of Mexico, which, after great controversy, was destroyed.

"These types of curatorial programs are very important because they focus on restoring all those moments of artists' work that are unknown, or very little known ," Patiño Guadarrama said during the presentation of the book. He emphasized that one positive aspect of González Camarena's work is that he took great care to document his work. Although there is almost no bibliography, there is a vast amount of newspapers .

Another notable text is From the Wall to the Screen: The Comprehensive Art of the Camarena Brothers at Televicentro (now Televisa Chapultepec), written by Rebeca Barquera Guzmán. It describes the contributions Jorge and his brother Guillermo González Camarena made to the telecommunications company, as well as the creation and disappearance of the mural "Television" (1959).

The mural was adapted to the building's façade, organized into friezes, and depicted arts and disciplines such as dance, singing, sports, and charrería—elements that would be broadcast on television. At the top, he placed a symbol he invented to represent television, using elements of indigenous iconography , Barquera Guzmán said.

The art historian mentioned that this mural was also destroyed. The oft-repeated story is that it collapsed in the 1985 earthquake, but Jacobo Zabludovsky's videos about the quake show no trace of the work. Everything indicates that neglect, deterioration, and the transition from Televicentro to Televisa led to its loss .

The Fifth Muralist in Fine Arts, by Miguel Álvarez Cuevas, is another relevant essay in the book. It reconstructs the historical context and creative process of the sculptor.

"This volume is very important because there are few bibliographical corpuses on the work of Jorge González Camarena. This volume marks at least 15 bibliographical publications on the artist so far," Álvarez Cuevas emphasized.

At the end of the presentation, González Camarena Barré de Saint-Leu added that in a context where works of art are lost in earthquakes, unreviewed archives, or through institutional neglect, this catalog is a piece of resistance that recovers, contextualizes, and returns to the present the legacy of one of the least studied, yet most prolific muralists of the 20th century.