The Perception of Cultural Heritage in the City of Trinidad de Cuba

Resumo

In scientific research, the subject ‘perception’ has been studied from the cultural, touristic and environmental perspective. There is a lack of information about Trinidad in what the population knows, thinks, adds value to and how it takes part on the construction of the heritage, since this subject has not been developed yet. Been considered a recent study in the city of Trinidad, the objective of the research was aimed at determining characteristics of perception of cultural heritage among the inhabitants of the Trinidad city who can contribute to the maintenance of the status granted by UNESCO as Cultural Heritage. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were adopted as the methodology, using the techniques of questionnaire and structured interview. For the application of the questionnaire, a sample of 360 people aged 16 and older was used, taking the data from the last Census, in 2002. Structured interviews were conducted with the researchers from the city of Trinidad and Valle de los Ingenios Curator Office. The limited knowledge of the population about the cultural heritage and the importance of Trinidad as Cultural Heritage, as well as the limited participation in the cultural activities of the city and in the heritage conservation may be considered the main social threats to the heritage.