During the First National Meeting of World Heritage Managers in Guatemala, held on April 16 and 17, 2026, in Antigua Guatemala, several working meetings took place with authorities from the Ministry of Culture and Sports, aimed at strengthening cooperation in World Heritage management.

Participants from the Guatemalan Ministry of Culture and Sports included the Vice Minister of Culture and Sports, Laura Coti Lux; the Director General of Cultural and Natural Heritage, Ana Claudia Monzón Peñalonzo; and Ms. Ixchel Alvarado. Representing the Regional World Heritage Institute in Zacatecas (RWHIZ) were the Director General, Architect Carlos Augusto Torres Pérez, and other staff members.

 

 

During the meetings, strategic issues for capacity building were addressed, in line with the Action Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean (2023–2029), including the implementation of courses on impact assessments in World Heritage contexts, the shared dissemination of heritage through RWHIZ media—such as the podcast and the Ecos del Patrimonio magazine—, as well as the development of training programs in technologies applied to heritage documentation.

In this regard, it was agreed to move forward, between 2026 and 2027, with the implementation of digital photogrammetry courses at basic and intermediate levels, aimed at managers and specialists of the 4 Guatemalan sites of the world heritage (Antigua Guatemala, Tikal National Park, Quirigua Archaeological Park and Ruins and Tak’alik Ab’aj National Archaeological Park), as part of a strategy aimed at strengthening technical capacities in the documentation, registration and conservation of heritage.

These meetings allowed for the consolidation of collaboration agreements and the definition of joint work plans between RWHIZ and Guatemalan cultural institutions, reaffirming their shared commitment to the implementation of the 1972 Convention and the strengthening of World Heritage management in the region.