Heritage and the body: Female experiences of space in Cuenca, Ecuador

Spatial production, such as urban heritage management in most Latin American colonial cities, is defined by power relationships and has perpetuated systemic and historical violence towards women and other groups in the urban space. This research discusses the case of Cuenca, Ecuador, a city historically known as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO because of the linkage of its built environment to Spanish and French heritage. The project examines the bridge Mariano Moreno–a site of dispute between authorities, dominant heritage discourses, and feminist activists claiming women’s right to live safely and thrive in the city and its urban space. By working at the intersection of architecture, urban planning, feminist movements, and historic preservation, it analyzes how planning and preservation have historically underpinned different forms of inequality and gender biases in Cuenca. The research argues that the heritage conservation approach and site management impact female users’ experience due to a direct link between their bodies and the spatial realm. By drawing on women’s bodily experiences in urban environments such as the riverbanks of the city, this work unveils how these spaces expose them to the risk of physical and sexual violence and, therefore, reinforce gender violence. The stories add nuance to understanding how women live the city and how they have rescued a ceremonial character from urban space by challenging the historical restrictions imposed by its colonial framework. This study engages feminist theories to excavate the connections between colonialism and urban heritage management. It problematizes colonialism in planning and architecture by its interaction with female knowledge, generating a significant shift in how the urban space is regularly understood and taught.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.U.P.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Urban Planning

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Abril Reyes, Maria Gabriela

Contributors dc:contributor

• Novoa, Magdalena
• Isern, David

• Urban Spaces
• Feminist Activism
• Feminist Theory
• Decolonial Theory
• Cuerpo-territorio
• Heritage Management
• Collective Memory

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Maria Gabriela Abril Reyes

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124597

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F124597