Venetian culture in Mexico: The case of Chipilo, a latent cultural heritage worth protecting.

Given the multiple weaknesses of the classic top-down schemes in the field of development, greater efforts have begun to be made to promote approaches that are based on the local context and the genuine interests of the future beneficiaries of development projects. In this way development experts "come to understand" local culture and create opportunities for participation (Deruyttere, 1997, p. 15). Therefore, it is necessary to use tools adapted to the characteristics, resources and capacities of the involved communities. Participatory methodologies play an important role in this, since they are aimed at ensuring that project design starts with the individuals and groups who make up the local territory. On the other hand, the challenges presented by minority communities throughout the world regarding the preservation of their cultural heritage are increasing. Nowadays political agendas emphasize the value and importance of preserving cultural diversity, as it is considered one of the main drivers of sustainable development in nations. This study pursues the application of participatory methodologies in the community of Chipilo, located in Mexico, which is made up of descendants of Italian immigrants who have preserved their cultural heritage of Venetian origin for 140 years, maintaining traditions and speaking their own dialect. To this end, a community workshop was held to identify the state of the Venetian cultural heritage in Chipilo, as well as interests, ideas and proposals by the community around its preservation. As a result, a process of reflection, discussion and analysis was promoted, which allowed detecting the strengths, threats, weaknesses and opportunities of the cultural heritage, as well as the identification of ideas and actions that the community considers appropriate and opportune to carry out for its preservation. The information generated in this work could be used by institutions interested in cultural preservation to design projects based on the actual interests of the community.