Places of
Espacios de conocimiento
Juanjo Trujillo / Creative Director
In Oriental cultures it is often said that ignorance is
Evil epitomised, and perhaps this aphorism explains
the current environment in which we live.
Not understanding the richness of our natural and
cultural heritage prevents the full development of
societies. We are increasingly volatile and uninfor-
med inspite of hyper connections, wireless networks
or speed of access. Without denigrating new tech-
nologies in any way, I would like to talk about the
sensory, physical, face-to-face and educational ex-
perience of visiting an interpretation center.
Imagine one of the many wise old guides - here
in Europe there are very few - of the North American
natural spaces. They know every inch of the surroun-
ding land, perceive it, sense it, feel it; whether it be
animal, plant or rock, nothing escapes their acute
perception of everything that grows, moves or flies.
Well, there was a time when they demanded, in or-
der to properly share their wisdom, love and respect,
that a space be constructed that would enamor visi-
tors with explanations; indulge them and interpret
the place they were going to visit later. They sought
in this way to improve the experience of the visit and
the understanding of the area and emotions shared.
But what exactly is an interpretation center? It is
certainly not a museum, nor an exhibition of texts
and photos. An interpretation center is a new stra-
tegy for an attractive, effective and educational tool
that turns the space into a didactic and participative
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