Leonor Adán is an archaeologist and PhD in History, mention in Ethnohistory. Much of her professional and academic work has been in the field of museum management, archaeological and historical research and university liaison, as stated on the website of the School of Archaeology of the Universidad Austral de Chile (http://arqueologiapm.uach.cl/). In his academic role, hes studies in the area of the Atacama Desert and in the archaeology of forested territories in southern Chile stand out. She has also worked in the direction of FONDECYT (National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development) research projects and has been active in the area of university outreach.
Currently, Leonor Adán works in the Museological Direction of the UACh, teaches at the School of Archaeology at the Puerto Montt campus (UACh) and is part of the board of the Asociación Patrimonial Cultural de la Región de Los Ríos Region, which has been operational since October 2020.
– What is your vision of the Asociación Patrimonial Cultural de la Región Los Ríos and the challenge of working with all the communes of Los Ríos?
“I believe that a skilled team has been formed in the area of heritage and the development of the arts. In spite of the modality that we have been living at the moment, a very clear proposal has been generated and with full knowledge of the thematic approached. This will ensure an important functioning of the Association in relation to regional expectations. On the other hand, I believe that coordination with the Regional Council is fundamental and something that must be strengthened over time. Gradually, the regional community must get to know the work of this institution that is just starting”.
– How was the experience in the Museological Direction of the Universidad Austral de Chile between 1997 and 2014, where you were in charge?
“In our case, university museums play a very important role because they fulfill the functions of these establishments, such as heritage conservation, and also generate a lot of activity and dynamism in the areas where they are located. They are also capable of integrating with certain community problems related to identity and culture. Their spaces are also part of the region’s infrastructure. For all these reasons, they are very relevant for the management of cultural heritage.
I would also highlight the work of all its workers, as it allows these institutions to remain in force over time, as well as the articulation with other institutions, schools or creative industries, among others. Likewise, they help us to keep alive the reflection on how to manage relationships within the communities in which they participate”.
-What work associated with the heritage field would you highlight from your time as director of the Directorate of Linking with the Environment of the UACh? ?
“From the Directorate of Liaison with the Environment, together with different units of the UACh, including the Rectory, we undertook significant work in the recovery of the University’s heritage architecture. During this period we were able to restore the Central House of the UACh, as well as important work on the Luis Oyarzún House and the Conservatory. The idea was to be able to recover these buildings and that their use would allow spaces for community outreach and work.
Another relevant aspect that we are developing as a university, and that we hope to reinforce when normality returns, is the installation of the Los Canelos Campus with the double building of the former San Francisco Convent, which is catalogued as a Historic Monument and where the university made an agreement with the Bishopric of Villarrica to be able to have the guardianship. The period we were able to open it was fantastic because we had many activities, besides being a very neuralgic area of the city.
We must also highlight the work around the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC), which will be a fundamental milestone for cultural development both regionally and nationally. Not only because of its programming, but also because it is recovering an industrial heritage asset”.
Photo: http://vinculacion.uach.cl/
In my work as a teacher, we are training future archaeologists in a career that is oriented both to scientific and historical archaeology and also to cultural heritage management, which is fundamental for the development of both the Los Ríos and Los Lagos regions.
Leonor Adán, archaeologist.
