The cultural dimension in the tourism field of Cuetzalan, towards the comprehensive conception of sustainability

hacia la concepción integral de la sustentabilidad

Abstract

This article analyzes the importance of the cultural dimension of sustainability for its reinterpretation within the tourism sector. Starting from an environmental rationale, a theoretical and methodological framework is integrated that prioritizes the cultural through three categories of analysis: cosmos, corpus, and praxis, thus emancipating itself from the hegemonic approach that privileges the economic. The information was obtained through a dialogue of knowledge, via interviews with key stakeholders and on-site observation in Cuetzalan, Mexico. The most relevant finding is that the community’s belief system (cosmovision) strongly influences sustainable actions and its relationship with nature within the tourism context. Some limitations included the limited time to conduct in-depth research in the periphery of the municipality and the scarcity of information found regarding the cosmovision in the central town. It is concluded that the cultural dimension is a determining factor in how society interacts with nature.