Cuando los arqueólogos se van

La Hacienda El Progreso.

Fernando Astudillo, Edy Becerra, Florencio Delgado, Ross Jamieson and Peter W. Stahl. 

RESUMEN 

La Hacienda El Progreso fue una importante empresa agroindustrial ecuatoriana de finales del siglo XIX. Operando desde la isla San Cristóbal en el archipiélago de Galápagos, la empresa exportó azúcar refinada, café y otros productos a mercados nacionales e internacionales. La plantación funcionó entre las décadas de 1860 y 1930 y fue, al mismo tiempo, el primer asentamiento humano permanente en la isla. Tras su cierre y abandono en 1930, el legado de la plantación tiene una importante influencia en la cultura local. Actualmente, los habitantes de la Isla San Cristóbal configuran su identidad a partir de la importancia histórica de la plantación. El verano de 2018 fue nuestra última temporada de campo en El Progreso. Desde el inicio, nuestra investigación contó con la participación permanente de autoridades y líderes comunales para estudiar el pasado de la isla, ninguno de ellos descendientes directos de los trabajadores originales de la plantación. En este artículo, discutimos el legado y los servicios de nuestro proyecto arqueológico para la sociedad moderna de las Islas Galápagos. Los objetivos son examinar la relevancia de nuestro proyecto para la sociedad contemporánea en aspectos como educación, políticas patrimoniales y economía local; discutir las lecciones aprendidas sobre las interacciones y colaboraciones entre el equipo de arqueología con la comunidad y las autoridades locales; y evaluar las consecuencias a mediano y largo plazo resultantes de implementar un proyecto arqueológico en un santuario ambiental remoto. Las Islas Galápagos son un escenario en donde los intereses sobre la historia humana local colisionan con las agendas de conservación de la naturaleza y una lucrativa industria del ecoturismo.

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In 2022, the Galapagos Science Center (GSC) and the broader UNC & USFQ Galapagos Initiative will celebrate its 10th Anniversary. We are proud to announce the World Summit on Island Sustainability scheduled to be held on June 26–30, 2022 at the Galapagos Science Center and the Community Convention Center on San Cristobal Island.

The content of the World Summit will be distributed globally through social media and results documented through papers published in a book written as part of the Galapagos Book Series by Springer Nature and edited by Steve Walsh (UNC) & Carlos Mena (USFQ) as well as Jill Stewart (UNC) and Juan Pablo Muñoz (GSC/USC). The book will be inclusive and accessible by the broader island community including scientists, managers, residents, tourists, and government and non-government organizations.

While the most obvious goal of organizing the World Summit on Island Sustainability is to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the GSC and the UNC-USFQ Galapagos Initiative, other goals will be addressed through special opportunities created as part of our operational planning of the World Summit.

For instance, we seek to elevate and highlight the Galapagos in the island conservation discourse, seeking to interact with other island networks in more obvious and conspicuous ways to benefit the Galapagos Islands, the UNC-USFQ Galapagos Initiative, and the world. We will seize the opportunity to further develop the I2N2 – International Islands Network-of-Networks. Further, we wish to highlight and emphasize multiple visions of a sustainable future for the Galapagos Islands and we cannot do this alone. Therefore, engaging the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Tourism, the Government Council of Galapagos, the Galapagos National Park, and local Galapagos authorities, including government and non-government organizations and local citizen groups, is imperative.

The Galapagos Science Center on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos

Borrowing from Hawaii’s and Guam’s Green Growth Program and the Global Island Partnership, we wish to examine existing global programs that emphasize island sustainability and their incorporation into life, policies, and circumstances in the Galapagos Islands. We will also seek to enhance our connections with the institutional members of our International Galapagos Science Consortium and expand the Consortium through the recruitment of other member institutions. We will also work to benefit islands and their local communities by working with citizen groups as well as important NGOs who seek to improve the natural conditions in the Galapagos and diminish the impact of the human dimension on the future of Galapagos’ ecosystems.

Lastly, we will use the World Summit to benefit UNC & USFQ and our constituencies through a strong and vibrant communication plan about the World Summit, creating corporate relationships as sponsors, identifying funding goals through donors, and benefiting our study abroad program for student engagement in the Galapagos Islands. We plan to develop and issue a Galapagos Sustainability Communique after the World Summit that includes the vision and insights of all its participants for a sustainable Galapagos with applicability to global island settings.

We are eager to hear your perspective and have you join us at the World Summit on Island Sustainability!