#HeritageCityStories

I greet you from home confinement, I am Joel Perea Quiroz, currently UNESCO manager of the cultural site, Zone of Historical Monuments of Querétaro and the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro cultural itinerary in its chapter of the historic center of Querétaro. Since 2003, I have worked in relation to the various topics of care and protection of cultural heritage, but from 2006 to date I have carried out concrete and priority actions for the conservation and enhancement of cultural sites. From 2006 to 2009 I was appointed auxiliary authority of the Presidency municipality of Querétaro, as municipal delegate of the Historic Center. It allowed me to assimilate all the responsibility assumed by the municipal authorities in the care and protection of the Outstanding Universal Value. In 2010, I coordinated the preparation of the Management and Conservation Plan for the Querétaro Historical Monuments Area, one of the first technical-legal documents of its kind in Latin America that served as inspiration and guide for other heritage sites in Mexico and of analysis and research by specialists and other cities in the world. Since 2009, I have been working as Coordinator of World Heritage Cities in the Municipality of Querétaro, a position that is attached to the Municipal Planning Institute of Querétaro. In the last eleven years I have had to promote and attend to the national and international issues inherent in the city of Querétaro as a historical city, from the second cycle of UNESCO periodic reports, to the analysis of projects and preparation of technical files for the management of resources authorized by the government of the republic for the conservation of Mexican cities world heritage. My academic training is to be a lawyer by profession, but a cultural manager by conviction, my profession helps me understand that good legal regulations will be essential for protection actions to endure during the passage of municipal administrations and support actions for architects and restorers to carry out works in favor of the conservation of historical monuments, as well as being immersed within an urban planning office. It allows me to propose actions that do not affect the monuments zone and its protection zone (or transition zone) from a legal point of view through Urban Law. I do not lose hope that the management of historical cities will return to normal with some variations after the recommendations by COVID-19, but always making tourism enjoy the world heritage and residents feel proud of the heritage they protect for future generations.