INAH begins restoration of the perimeter pit in Bacalar, QR

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) began the restoration of a 50 cubic meter section of the wall of the perimeter moat of the San Felipe de Bacalar Fort, in Quintana Roo, an element that suffered a partial collapse due to the softening of its masonry , due to the intense rains last June.

In a statement, the agency reported this Tuesday that, upon learning of the incident, the INAH Center in that entity activated the protocol for the application of institutional insurance for historical monuments that are property of the nation, in the case of that property located in the Pueblo Mágico from Bacalar.

The director of said center, Margarito Molina Rendón, pointed out that in recent years damage caused by environmental and weather conditions has also been addressed in other historical buildings, such as the Temple of the Child Jesus, in Tihosuco; the Temple of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in X-Cabil; and the Chapel of San Juan Bautista, in X-Querol, as well as two temples in Sacalaca and Sabán, through the Temporary Employment Program.

The Bacalar Fort, as it is known, is one of the most significant buildings in the historical architecture and cultural heritage of that state. Located on the shores of the Seven Colors Lagoon, it was built in 1733, at the request of the governor of the then Captaincy General of Yucatán, Antonio de Figueroa y Silva Lazo de la Vega, with the purpose of controlling the advance of the English settlements in the southern border of New Spain.

It was also important in the Mayan Social War, since, in 1858, it was taken by the rebellious Mayans, an act that forced the mestizo and Creole population of Bacalar to take refuge in northern Belize.

Molina Rendón highlighted that the INAH has worked in the aforementioned sites with timely management of resources; “damage due to accidents to historical heritage has not been neglected, which in Quintana Roo are often caused by humidity, rain, hurricanes and water runoff.”

Regarding the segment of the perimeter wall being restored, the architect of the Historical Monuments section of the INAH Quintana Roo Center, Luis Ojeda Godoy, explained that these are two contiguous sections that add up to five linear meters and 50 cubic meters.

Specialists use mortars, made with lime paste and stone dust, to avoid the use of cement, since, when integrated into the masonry, it causes humidity to concentrate inside the walls in the medium term and leads to greater deterioration. .

“Starting in the 70s, the Bacalar Fort became the tourist icon of southern Quintana Roo,” concluded Molina Rendón, emphasizing that the INAH will continue to care for the entity’s historic buildings, which are constantly under to natural deterioration and the environmental and climatological conditions of the region.