This lecture alludes to the General Conference of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) organized in 1971, which has developed a framework for international cooperation in preserving and protecting cultural treasures and natural areas all around the world. Based on ten criteria that recognize the way that people interact with nature, cultural sites, and cultural traditions, UNESCO has established a World Heritage List that has to be ratified by the countries concerned. Accordingly, the subject matter of notional-methodological discussion will be the perception of outstanding universal values in a specific country like Peru, characterized by its geographical, linguistic, and cultural diversity. Centuries of pre-Columbian cultures, the colonial period, and republican history in a changing territory have shaped ritual social practices and spaces of collective exchange. It departs from the assumption that signs of culture do not exist in isolation; they need a social practice that gives them meaning and people with a sense of belonging to a community. Following investigative tasks, several correlated questions have to be posed, such as: What are the social conditions that ensure the preservation and perdurability of cultural heritage in the context of international cooperation agreements? Does mythical thought, whose logical organization and principles are the basis of ancient worldviews, have the chance to survive nowadays? Some other questions may also arise around the social tensions experienced by communities in Peru, to inquire, for example: How does the situation of poverty, lack of basic health services, and malnutrition affect the preservation of cultural heritage?

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