Introduction

Alamos, Sonora, Mexico is unique in that, for such a small town, it contains world-class cultural, natural and intangible heritage. The colonial architecture in the town center has been declared a National Historic Monument, and Alamos is on the tentative list for World Heritage status. The surrounding area contains incomparable biodiversity within an unusual ecosystem that emerged where the Sonoran desert meets the Sierra Madre and the more humid rainforests to the south. A 93,000-hectare Federal Natural Reserve of Tropical Deciduous Forest is protected under UNESCO’s network of biosphere reserves. The outlying region is inhabited by the Mayo and Guarijio Indians, who are the traditional stewards of the land and keepers of an extraordinary wealth of information about practical and medicinal uses of local plant species. The knowledge spilled over into a meztizo population, with its own matchless local culture, which has been entrenched for hundreds of years, since the town was founded as a mining and administrative outpost in 1685. The silver mines at one point became the richest and most productive in the world.

Problems abound. The natural, cultural and intangible culture of the region is increasingly eroded by globalization and modernization. A global demand for beef has spurred government policies which urge the Guarijio to clear-cut forest and plant buffel grass in order to raise cattle. The practice destroys the forest which was once sustenance and medicine for the Guarijio, coerces them into a form of livelihood that is foreign to their culture and values, and pulls them into a cash consumerist culture. Development, population growth, deforestation and a new wave of mining activity threaten biodiversity. A desert could replace what is now a seasonal tropical rainforest.

Hundreds of colonial buildings in the historic center have been registered as monuments, but they are endangered due to lack of public awareness about proper methods and materials for conservation. Perhaps the most damaging practice is an overuse of Portland cement in old adobe and masonry buildings. Authorities in the field of conservation the world over condemn the use of cement in old buildings. Members of the expat population from the US and Canada typically buy historic buildings and remodel them as they wish, showing little sensitivity to historic authenticity. The vinyl paint currently used is entirely inappropriate for a colonial town, and has effectively eliminated wall breathability.

Alamos was able to retain its unique character for centuries largely due to its isolation. Electricity, television and paved roads to the nearest city did not arrive until well into the second half of the 20th century. When I first came to Alamos eight years ago, I noticed that many older traditions survived. Storytelling was still very much alive. Television did not dominate the family in the evening. On hot summer nights, people sat outside and told stories about Alamos ghosts, Alamos fauna, snakes that fall on people from trees, hunting and fishing, deer and jaguars, unheard-of fruits, treasures that were hidden during the Indian raids that lasted well into the 20th century, family feuds, curanderos of yesterday and today, supernatural occurrences of all sorts, how Alamos once became a ghost town and how people survived, the brothers that sawed a pencil in two so they could both go to school, the same brothers that cut a tortilla in half for lunch, children carrying water from the well down the hill, disease, and corresponding herbal cures for anything—the stuff of resilience. Stories were told about how Los Angeles and San Francisco were founded by expeditions setting off from Alamos, to remind people of their proud heritage. Stories were told about unwed mothers buried alive in thick adobe walls by their embarrassed families, to remind people of their own cruelty.

Music played a central role in the family, with guitars and song breaking out at any moment. Hundreds of old songs remain in the memory of those older than 50 years of age. Many retain memories of local history. I am sad to say the songs will not see another generation. TV, internet, cell phones, rap music, alcoholism, drug abuse and cocooning have replaced the Alamos I knew 8 years ago. The values disappear with the traditions.

Change, modernization and new technologies erode cultural, biological and intangible diversity around the world. The same drivers lead to disintegration, wherever it might be. If reintegration is to occur, logically it could be driven by common catalysts as well.

While witnessing the very sudden erosion of biocultural diversity in Alamos, I noticed it occurred in steps. Destruction is rarely immediate and complete. It happens via a sort of domino effect. One element falls, leading to the fall of others. Reversing the trend could only happen by standing a domino up again, necessarily in a way that makes it probable others will follow.