Mexico City, June 29.- The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) issued a recommendation to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), due to the fact that the Puebla-based administration of said organization did not take the necessary actions to protect the San Francisco Totimehuacán archaeological site, also known as the “Tepalcayotl Archaeological Zone.”
He indicated that in September 2023, he received a complaint alleging that the "site is abandoned, looted, invaded, and used as a garbage dump," and that despite several written requests to different authorities to rescue and preserve it, no response was received.
In Recommendation 81/2024, the CNDH stated that it was able to confirm violations of the human rights of access to culture, participation in cultural life, and access to justice in administrative settings, due to the INAH's failure to address the complaint alleging activities detrimental to the preservation of the aforementioned archaeological site.
In response, the institute was asked to continue the complaint process for the damage to the cultural heritage at the San Francisco Totimehuacán Archaeological Site. This, it specified, includes determining the existence of acts, facts, or omissions detrimental to the site, conducting a tour of the site, and initiating an investigation to determine the appropriate legal action.
Likewise, the CNDH recommended that he prepare and process complaints and reports before the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office.
