La participación social en el Mantenimiento del Patrimonio: La experiencia de Susudel

In rural areas, the conservation of the built heritage faces several difficulties that involve technological, social and economic aspects. The possibility that heritage is an agent of social cohesion and economic development, and that in turn generates local maintenance initiatives, are key issues discussed in this article. This work shares the results of a systematically planned and executed work, which took three months of preparation and five days of execution, carried out by the students and professors of the University of Cuenca, taking advantage of all available technical resources, and promoting the resurgence of an ancient practice of collective work, known as minga. Maintenance actions were carried out, in around fifty peasant buildings, work that opted for a change in the perception of the community towards heritage. Although the community has not replicated a similar experience due to the difficulty of obtaining economic resources for its organization, the experience is positive because there are small-scale actions and a shared consideration that this has been a starting point for future actions.