From Archaeological Site to World Heritage Site: The Emergence of Social Management at Monte Alban, Mexico

Abstract

The very process of establishing an archaeological site is a grand exercise in boundary-making. Not only must formal physical boundaries be determined but there are also boundaries between staff and visitors, between educational or ritual use and commercial exploitation, and allocations of authority as exercised by different levels or branches of government. Even where practice or existing rules facilitate boundary-making the particular characteristics of a place or a historical moment make management of boundary zones, or the site-society interface, arenas of critical concern. Through exploration of the evolution of the boundary-making process at the World Heritage Site of Monte Alban in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca we offer an appreciation of how the incremental nature of boundary-making, often driven by considerations unrelated to the site itself, has had fundamental and long-lasting effects on the site as it exists today. For example, over time changes in questions important to archaeologists led to a shift from a focus on monumental architecture to patterns of residence and economic use of space, a shift leading to a redefinition of “site” quite different from the legal boundaries established by government action. And regional population and economic growth spread human use of space into areas archaeologists see as integral to the site as they currently define it. Thus, boundary-making must be seen as dynamic and contended rather than static, requiring site managers and their administrative superiors to anticipate change rather than simply react to it. Successful site management does not mean achieving greater technical capacity but the ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams and to collaborate with other sectors and jurisdictions. As Monte Alban gained international stature and visibility, some of its boundaries, e.g., the quality of planning or of visitor services, moved from local to international in scope. Organizational density and organizational complexity require managerial skills still not universally accepted by specialists in traditional disciplines or operational roles. We refer to these emerging forms as social management to differentiate them from traditional administrative roles grounded in hierarchy and function. Monte Alban became a world leader in social management precisely because it developed the capacity to negotiate, communicate, resolve conflicts, and anticipate change.