Construction of elevated viaduct threatens the historic center of Zacatecas

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Thirty-one years after the Historic Center of Zacatecas was first inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage cities and about to celebrate 15 years of the second declaration of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro route, today these appointments could be at risk and are part of a legal dispute between government authorities and civil groups over the start of the construction of an elevated viaduct that will cross the downtown area.

The controversy centers on Adolfo López Mateos Boulevard, where a second floor will be built, since it is part of the polygon that contemplates the appointment of the Heritage City, which is called a buffer zone because it is the area that surrounds the monument zone and protects it.

Half a year ago, the state government presented the mobility project that includes the construction of the elevated viaduct that will have a length of 3.4 km, with four lanes, access ramps and a viewing point at the height of the Bicentennial Plaza. More than 3,600 million will be invested in the project.

But it was a year ago that dissatisfied voices and protests were triggered by the Ciudadanía Participativa group of Zacatecas, and by a group of merchants and other citizens who oppose the work. However, recently the dispute was exacerbated by a legal and political clash between the state government, of Morena, and the municipal government, of the PAN, which has led to litigation in the courts.


Voices of protest

When the rumor of the construction of the second floor arose, a group of academics, affected citizens, as well as members of an association protecting Cultural Heritage joined together in the Ciudadanía Participativa group.

Juan Francisco Valerio Quintero, a member of the group, explains that since February 2024 they sent a letter to Governor David Monreal to attend their meetings and listen to them, but, he says, they have never received a response.

In addition, Valerio Quintero shared with this newspaper documents that show the seriousness of the matter, and that highlight the concern of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

In a letter addressed to Emma María José Rodríguez Sifuentes, representative of the permanent delegation of Mexico to UNESCO, Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, asks that no modification be made until a precise evaluation is had.

“It is considered that, among other things, the viaduct could have an irreversible visual impact on the urban landscape of the city, and on the World Heritage property in particular, and a complete evaluation of the heritage is required. […] In the meantime, no decision should be made on the execution of the viaduct,” the letter reads.

This document, dated July 10, 2024, is also copied to ICOMOS (International Council of Sites and Monuments), a non-governmental organization associated with UNESCO, which must provide elements and methodologies for the care and conservation of the cultural heritage of the countries that make up UNESCO.

When consulted, Saúl Alcántara Onofre, president of ICOMOS Mexico, avoided giving positions and statements on the subject and noted that “experts are not willing to discuss this viaduct.”

Es en el bulevar Adolfo López Mateos donde se construirá un viaducto elevado que atravesará por la zona centro de Zacatecas, que a su vez forma parte del polígono que
contempla el nombramiento de la Ciudad Patrimonio. FOTOS: DIANA VALDEZ. EL UNIVERSAL

Another body that plays a fundamental role is the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which last year began the process to declare Zacatecas a Historic Monuments zone. However, in a bulletin dated September 12, it is reported that this declaration will not affect the construction of the elevated viaduct.

In this regard, the area of ​​Social Communication of the INAH informed this newspaper that they are waiting for the construction project for its respective analysis, and that “UNESCO has requested from the Mexican authorities a Cultural Impact Statement, which we have requested from the state authority, to obtain feedback from the UNESCO World Heritage Committee,” they reported.

Valerio says that they have tried to label the group with political issues, but he clarifies that he and many members have never been members of any party; he even recalled that this is the second time that they have disagreed with a government over the construction of a second floor. The first time it happened was during the six-year term of former PRD member Amalia García and on that occasion, too, the citizens opposed it.

“I find it strange that ICOMOS does not want to speak out. In 2007, the government intended to do a project and it was resolved with the opinion of ICOMOS, since it considered that there would be a negative impact on the urban landscape and on the heritage attributes of the city. Now it is inexplicable and I question the passivity, not to say complicity, of the silence that ICOMOS and the INAH itself have maintained,” Valerio points out.

This version was supported by a group of five merchants who are on the strip of the work, who asked for confidentiality “for fear of reprisals from the government.”

It is estimated that there are about 172 farms and/or establishments on that strip, and they assure that many of them are dissatisfied, but only a few have raised their voices and have sought protection.

The merchants interviewed mentioned that their businesses are family-run and date back many decades and have not been heard by the state government and that they feel “ignored” by the Chamber of Commerce of Zacatecas, and that despite being members, there was no support, as they were only told that there were other businesses that agreed.

They comment that in September of last year they learned that the government had called merchants to a meeting at the Government Palace, but they realized that “there was manipulation of information,” because it was mentioned that “all merchants were in agreement and that we had accepted the support, and that is not true”; and they denounce that not even an economic impact study on commerce has been carried out, for this reason, they continue to participate in the protests.

The injunctions

The dissatisfied merchants say that they decided to “arm themselves with courage” and went to the federal Public Defender’s Office to appeal for injunctions: “We saw that no one listens to us, they see us as second-class citizens, as if we did not matter (…) This is a project that will last many months and will collapse our economy, it will be very difficult to sustain ourselves, because no study of the impact on the economy has been done either,” they say.

Another of the injunctions was filed by the group of citizens with an office, after the work began and it is expected that they will receive a response in the coming days. On December 23, the mayor of Zacatecas, Miguel Varela, supported the protesters and personally went to place the suspension seals on the machinery of the Hycsa company.

On that occasion, he pointed out that the state government lacked the necessary permits, because the 40 requirements requested by the municipal government, based on the Territorial Code for the State of Zacatecas and its Municipalities, as well as other federal agencies, have not been met, arguing that the second floor could cause “irreversible damage” to the Heritage of Zacatecas, in addition to causing “the collapse of local commerce and affecting the neighbors in the area.”

Es en el bulevar Adolfo López Mateos donde se construirá un viaducto elevado que atravesará por la zona centro de Zacatecas, que a su vez forma parte del polígono que
contempla el nombramiento de la Ciudad Patrimonio. FOTOS: DIANA VALDEZ. EL UNIVERSAL

Source: eluniversal