The Heritage Management Organization (HERITΛGE) is proud to announce the launch of HerMaP Mexico, a two-year intervention made possible through a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place program. The project will support heritage management initiatives across six Mexican states that share a border with the United States — Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas — and empower local communities to harness their cultural heritage as a source of identity, learning, and sustainable development.

Building on the success of HERITΛGE’s international programs, this new project represents a major milestone in the organization’s growing engagement in North America. It will bring together heritage professionals, community organizations, and cultural leaders from across the region to map heritage ecosystems, build capacity, and support community-led projects.

“We see HerMaP Mexico as a transformative initiative — both for the organization and for heritage professionals across Mexico’s border states,” said HERITΛGE’s Denise Navarro Becerra, HerMaP Mexico Project Manager. “With the Mellon Foundation’s generous support, we aim to connect and empower those heritage managers and stewards in one of the world’s most dynamic cultural regions.”

A Four-Pillar Approach to Strengthening Heritage

HerMaP Mexico’s activities are structured around four key pillars:

1. Mapping: Identifying actors, capacities, infrastructure, and gaps in heritage management across the six states.
2. Capacity Building: Delivering targeted heritage management training programs adapted to and inspired by the local contexts through in-person and online sessions.
3. Networking: Organizing regional networking events to connect local, national, and international actors in heritage management.
4. Re-granting: Distributing small grants to community-focused heritage projects.

These activities will engage a wide range of stakeholders and topics in cultural heritage management, highlighting the richness and diversity of the border region’s cultural heritage. The program will run until September 2027, combining in-person activities with digital learning resources available through HERITΛGE’s Training Platform.