Oaxaca Children Become Heritage Guardians Through Play, Exploration and Local Stories

The first activities brought children together free of charge during summer 2026 for guided experiences across Oaxaca’s Historic Center.

Children in Oaxaca are discovering that cultural heritage is not something confined to museums, monuments or history books, but something that surrounds them in streets, traditions, community knowledge and everyday life. Through Guardianes del Patrimonio (Guardians of Heritage), a learning initiative supported by UNESCO, girls and boys are exploring the Historic Center of Oaxaca, playing specially designed games and building a deeper connection with the culture that shapes their community.

The programme is organized by the Directorate of the Historic Center and Heritage of the Municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez as part of UNESCO's cash-for-work component, supported by funding from the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The project combines education, heritage protection and community participation, giving children opportunities to understand both physical landmarks and living traditions in ways that feel practical, enjoyable and connected to their own lives.

Learning Heritage Through Games and City Exploration

The first activities brought children together free of charge during summer 2026 for guided experiences across Oaxaca's Historic Center. The programme is now expanding to reach more than 300 girls and boys from five primary schools located in the city centre and surrounding areas, allowing more young residents to learn about the places, practices and stories that form part of Oaxaca's identity.

Learning is built around participation rather than classroom-style instruction alone. Children use an activity booklet, a lotería game, serpientes y escaleras or snakes and ladders, and other specially prepared materials that encourage curiosity and discussion. Guided walks give them the chance to observe heritage directly, ask questions and connect historical information with places they already see in their daily lives.

Felipe Eduardo Barajas Mendoza, Director of the Historic Center and Heritage of Oaxaca de Juárez, said children can understand from an early age that heritage is neither foreign nor distant. Learning about it can turn them into important partners in protecting local culture and strengthening Oaxaca's identity.

Understanding Why Oaxaca and Monte Albán Matter

During their tours, children learn why the Historic Center of Oaxaca and the Archaeological Site of Monte Albán are considered unique and irreplaceable and why they are included on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Activities introduce the idea of Outstanding Universal Value in language and formats that younger participants can understand.

The programme highlights the area's contributions to urban planning, its distinctive combination of cultural influences and the design features that later influenced other settlements. Children are encouraged to see buildings, streets and public spaces not simply as old structures, but as evidence of how communities developed, exchanged ideas and created cultural traditions across generations.

Teachers and parents have welcomed the hands-on approach. Elementary school teacher Carlos Noé Cruz Mendoza said children learn more effectively when they observe, interact and share experiences directly in heritage spaces. A participating mother, Xunaxi, stressed the importance of giving local children opportunities to understand their own history and knowledge.

Training Guides and Building Community-Led Heritage Protection

The people leading the activities received specialized training before working with the children. Their preparation focused on teaching methods, heritage interpretation and ways of engaging different audiences, giving them the tools to design guided tours and develop active-learning methods suited to young participants.

Guardianes del Patrimonio forms part of UNESCO's broader Communities for Heritage programme, which supports World Heritage cities across Latin America and the Caribbean. The initiative works to strengthen local community capacities and encourage sustainable tourism centred on culture, participation and responsible management of heritage sites.

In Oaxaca, this broader work includes efforts to strengthen the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and connect it more closely with urban planning. Another focus is improving visitor management and involving communities more directly in responsible tourism.

By placing children at the centre of heritage education, the programme is helping a new generation understand that protecting Oaxaca's cultural legacy begins with knowing it, experiencing it and recognizing its place in everyday community life.