| Samuel Cárdenas Meijers |
munity in several ways. This includes identity
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active involvement and volunteering, role development (obtaining a social role, which helps
to foster self-esteem and empowerment), and
social role valorisation (obtaining a social role
that is respected by society) (Silverman 2010,
55-56). Furthermore, community programs aimed at adolescents have contributed to the selfdevelopment of the participants: their self-conÀGHQFHVWUHQJWKHQHGWKHLULQWHUHVWDQGDWWLWXGH
toward science improved, as well as improvement of communication, career preparation
and other life skills, tolerance of other people
and cultures, and their cultivation of a sense of
civic responsibility (Dierking 2013, 208). Another goal of the museum is to raise awareness
within the community about the importance
of their archaeological heritage. When a local
community is aware of this importance, it can
contribute to the preservation of the sites in an
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understand, the value of their heritage. When
they do have the knowledge of the importance
of their cultural heritage, they will have the power, WKURXJK DFWLYH SDUWLFLSDWLRQ WR LQÁXHQFH
the management of their cultural heritage (NorGHQÁ\FKW&RQFKD
Community programs and the other huacas
within Lima
The heritage management of Huaca Pucllana is
sometimes seen as a model that can be applied to
other huacas (Gonzáles-Olaechea 2014). However,
the conditions in other districts are different than
that of this huaca, which is located in one of the
wealthiest districts of Lima. Nevertheless, there are
being made efforts at other huacas to engage the
community with its archaeological heritage.
Although only three percent of the huacas
in Lima is in social use (Municipalidad Metropolitana de Lima 2014, 4), there has been an increase of community engagement in the management
of huacas over the past two decades (Cárdenas
Meijers 2015, 76). This engagement is achieved
through programs and activities that are offered
by three actors: 1) The Ministry of Culture, 2) The
Metropolitan Municipality of Lima (MML), and 3)
Civil initiatives. The emergence of civil initiatives
is a remarkable trend, which demonstrates the concern of the society of Lima for the preservation of
the huacas (pers. comm. with Contreras Velez). By
organising programs and activities at the huacas,
their different functions (cultural, educational, and
entertaining) are exploited.
As table 1 shows, the authorities (local and
central) have been exploiting the three functions of
a huaca,WPXVWEHQRWHGWKDWVRPHHYHQWVFDQIXOÀO
several roles at the same time. An example is the
event The huaca narrates to us: a cultural and entertaining event that is aimed at children between
four and eight years old which consists of storytelling (based on pre-Columbian stories) in combination with songs and workshops (such as potterymaking), as well as guided tours, and which ends
with ‘a hug for the huaca’ by which children form a
circle around a huaca symbolizing their promise to
SUHVHUYHLW ÀJ *X]PiQet al. 2014, 7-9). Other
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p.10 | VOL I | INTER-SECTION | 2015