Cultural Heritage Rights: An Analysis from the Human Rights Perspective and their Implementation by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH, National Institute of Anthropology and History), Mexico

Abstract

Due to the lack of interest on the part of the government, cultural specialists and society as a whole, the subject of cultural law has developed slowly. In terms of its achievements, these have largely been based on the study of human rights, which have served as a mechanism for approaching the issue and for grounding it in society. This chronicle explores cultural heritage rights as a primary component of human dignity –along with the right to live, housing and work – and examines the educational process linked to the categorization of cultural rights. It also studies the relationship of cultural heritage rights with Mexico's existing cultural heritage regulations, in particular, those under the jurisdiction of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH, Mexico). This analysis is based on a structured theoretical framework derived from international relations that provides a further understanding of the interaction of different international human rights regimes within a comprehensive and interdisciplinary context.