The metamorphosis of the landscape and its repercussions on the conservation of architectural monuments: the case of Santiago Atzacoalco complex (Mexico)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the relationship between buildings declared historical monuments and the surrounding landscape that determines either their preservation or their eventual destruction. The history of the village of Santiago Atzacoalco (México), its chapel, and their association with the Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe along the northeastern route between Mexico City and the interior, are examined as a case study. This research focuses on the urban expansion over the last century and its effects on the historical monuments in question, inviting the reader to reflect on historical landmark protection laws, which grant ancient monuments the right to stand “forever”; sentencing them to formal and geographic permanence amid a changing urban landscape, a coexistence which can be satisfactory, but also often counterproductive.