By stating that “demolishing is not modernity,” the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Nuevo León (INAH) strongly criticized the actions of Francisco Esquivel, the mayor of Pesquería, for whose instructions a historic house of over 100 years was demolished. Yesterday, INAH personnel went to the municipality to verify the demolition and suspended the work. Where the so-called “Casa de Doña Cuquita” stood, the municipal administration intends to build an administrative tower. The institute classified the act as illicit and rejected the local administration's argument that this destruction represents an advance towards modernity. Criticism of the municipal authorities. The controversy arose after the mayor gave instructions to demolish the historic property using public funds. “It is alarming that the municipal authority promotes these actions in public media under the slogan of renewing the municipality. “It is particularly regrettable to learn that a municipal authority, announcing it even in public media, ‘makes way for modernity’ in a municipality founded in the 16th century, demolishing historic buildings with the use of public funds,” the organization highlighted. Shared responsibility. INAH reminded that the protection of historic architecture is not optional, but a legal mandate that involves all levels of government and civil society. In its statement, it emphasized that a people's identity should not be sacrificed in the name of poorly understood urban development. Legal basis: The conservation of heritage is governed by federal laws. Co-responsibility: It is the task of citizens, municipalities, states, and the federation to protect these sites. The institute made a direct call to Francisco Esquivel and his administration to face the legal repercussions of this act. It indicated that the destruction of historic buildings entails specific sanctions. “From the INAH Nuevo León Center, we reject and urge the municipal authorities of Pesquería to answer for the illicit committed, as well as to assume the consequences it entails,” the document detailed.
