The protection of the cultural heritage of galician emigration in cartagena de Indias (Colombia). Reflections on the conservation of casa galicia

Abstract

Casa Galicia of Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) is an element of the cultural heritage of this city that used to represent the success of its builders, a Galician emigrant family of the beginning of the 20th century. By means of an analysis of documents and photographs, the history of this house was studied as a representative symbol of the protection of Cartagena’s cultural heritage. After the sale of the building to a private company in the decade of 1980, there was a stage of abandonment that led to the disappearance of every element that symbolized its past and, conversely, the trademark of the new owner —the company Corona— has been emphasized in recent times. These changes would evidence the clash of interests between the preservation of a historic building and the commercial purpose of a company, prevailing the latter. © 2020 Asociacion de Arqueologos Profesionales de la Republica Argentina. All rights reserved.