2024: A year of celebrations for the INAH

2024 is a year of profound pride and satisfaction for the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH) as we celebrate significant anniversaries in the Institute's and our country's history. The INAH is undoubtedly a vital institution for the formation of national identity and the particular identities of the ethnic, linguistic, regional, and community groups that make up the plurality of our nation.

This year, we celebrate the 85th anniversary of the INAH, the great institution of the Mexican State since 1939, dedicated to the study, preservation, protection, and promotion of the social enjoyment of Mexico's inexhaustible cultural heritage. Over these eight and a half decades, the INAH has been a pillar in the construction of the idea of who we were and are, thanks to the thousands of women and men who have dedicated their lives to these tasks related to our cultural legacy.

The INAH was founded during the Cardenista period when the country realized the tremendous social reforms brought about by the Mexican Revolution. Eighty-five years later, after weathering three decades of an overwhelming neoliberal counter-reform, the INAH is immersed in a period of transformations that began with the electoral shift on July 1, 2018. This shift marked a mandate to fight corruption, reduce inequality, promote justice and social welfare, and address the historical debt to Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant groups, and disadvantaged social sectors.

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The uprising of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in 1994 marked the declaration of "never again a Mexico without its Indigenous peoples," the determination to give voice to the voiceless, to include cultural differences in a new national project, and to reverse the social inequalities that tear the country apart.

We must foster a comprehensive vision of heritage, convinced that it is not just about monuments and cultural assets but about focusing on the communities and people who produced them. Therefore, their safeguarding requires the participation of all Mexicans.

The 68 ethnolinguistic groups and the thousands of communities in Mexico that maintain their forms of social organization, language, traditions, and cultural traits have strengthened their presence in reclaiming their territories, social demands, and cultural rights. The Government of Mexico has addressed their resistance, which dates back centuries, with sensitivity and responsibility through the implementation of justice plans that involve the commitment of institutions like the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples, the Ministry of Culture, and the INAH.

Our current cultural greatness is as vast as our ancient heritage. In this regard, the INAH's task can be measured by the more than 58,000 registered archaeological sites, the 63 historical monument zones with declarations, and the over 110,000 cataloged historical monuments throughout the country. The infrastructure managed includes 193 archaeological zones, one paleontological zone, and 162 museums annually, receiving over 30 million visitors. Similarly, the INAH monitors 35 sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List and prepares dossiers for new inscriptions.

One area of action that fills us with pride is the recovery of cultural assets illicitly taken from the country. To date, more than 15,000 recovered objects under the motto "My heritage is not for sale" have been recovered. This has been possible thanks to collaboration with the Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs, the Historical and Cultural Memory of Mexico Program, Interpol, and the governments of sister countries.

Another significant field of action has been the attention to cultural heritage affected by the 2017 earthquakes, which caused damage to more than 3,000 historical monuments in 11 states. Thanks to the coordination of the Ministry of Culture and the cooperation of state governments committed to the cause, we will complete this monumental task this year.

This 2024, we also celebrate other notable anniversaries in the history of the INAH and Mexico, such as the 80th anniversary of the National Museum of History, Chapultepec Castle, the 80th anniversary of the discovery of the Tlatelolco archaeological site, the 65th anniversary of the Directorate of Historical Studies, and the 60th anniversary of the National Museum of Anthropology and the National Museum of the Viceroyalty.

Additionally, this year marks the 35th anniversary of the International Book Fair of Anthropology and History (FILAH), an event that, since 1989, has established itself as the most important forum in Latin America for editorial dissemination and critical reflection on historical, anthropological, and related disciplines within the INAH's purview.

This literary celebration is one of the most valuable spaces to bring the public closer to research related to the INAH's fields of action and other sister institutions. This year, Belize and the state of Quintana Roo are our guests of honor, and we are preparing a vast program under the theme "Cultural Heritage and Sustainability."

Year after year, FILAH gains strength and vitality, being the space where the institutional work concretizes its social link. In this celebration, the academic rigor of the Institute materializes through books, magazines, and other audiovisual expressions.

Through dissemination actions such as editorial presentations, colloquiums, seminars, symposia, keynote lectures, and workshops, the broad work of the INAH achieves its goal: to contribute to the knowledge of our roots, to increase knowledge about the wisdom, customs, and traditions of our ancestors, and to foster the recognition of ourselves as part of a rich cultural tapestry.

Thus, FILAH is today an appreciated and awaited forum for researchers, teachers, disseminators, students, and the general public, who find in it a seedbed of knowledge related to culture, anthropology, and history and a melting pot of topics related to the study of humanity and its evolution.

This underscores why FILAH represents an effort we strive to continue and a source of pride for those of us who work at the INAH. This institution has reached its first 85 years with the conviction of its high value and commitment to the people of Mexico and its transformations in the quest for a more equal, fraternal society with greater well-being for all.

Long live our National Institute of Anthropology and History!