Proactive Protection of a World Heritage Site

Nestled in central-southern Mexico, the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley is one of the world’s most remarkable biodiversity hot spots and a landscape deeply connected to the origins of Mesoamerica. Recognized by UNESCO for its natural and cultural importance, the region stretches across southeastern Puebla and northern Oaxaca and is celebrated for extraordinary plant diversity, sophisticated ancient water management systems, and its long-held status as a cradle of early agriculture.  

Students in Associate Professor Benjamin Ibarra-Sevilla’s Advanced Design Studio traveled to the valley to investigate how its World Heritage designation can support sustainable, locally rooted economic development. Their work centers on Quiotepec, a rural community in the Cañada region of Oaxaca, located within the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve. With its rich pre-Columbian heritage, dramatic topography and exceptional biodiversity, Quiotepec offers an ideal setting for students to examine how design can strengthen community vitality while honoring cultural and environmental values. 

Funded by the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS), the studio prompted architecture students to develop proposals that combine community-driven programs with environmentally sensitive building techniques. Students collaborated with several local partners, including the municipality of Santiago Quiotepec, to envision a visitor center, lodging, and an intimate museum dedicated to preserving and interpreting local archaeological artifacts. 

“Right now, many archaeological findings from the region are housed in Oaxaca City or Mexico City,” said Ibarra-Sevilla. “The proposals students are developing are significant because they imagine ways for this heritage to be interpreted and experienced within the communities where it originated. Students are seeing firsthand how their work can have a real and lasting impact.”  

By working in close dialogue with Indigenous residents, the studio sought to support local initiatives that elevate the region’s cultural identity and ensure that the stories of underrepresented communities are told by and for the people who have shaped this landscape for generations. Residents expressed a strong desire for a dedicated space to display and protect artifacts connected to the region’s deep history — an interest that has inspired the formation of a local committee to guide the museum’s future. Another priority identified by residents is additional lodging for visiting students and researchers. In response, students designed a modest, environmentally responsive hotel that relies on local materials and sustainable construction techniques alongside the visitor center.    

At the end of the semester, students presented seven design proposals to the community that reflect both architectural exploration and a shared vision for the future of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley. Each project aims to amplify community-led efforts to imagine new possibilities for conservation, education, and sustainable economic development. These proposals are intended to serve as catalysts for fundraising, strengthen the community’s long-term planning efforts, and offer a road map for projects that promote opportunity across the valley.