Reassessing the LIS approach to traditional knowledge: learning from Xochimilco, Mexico city

Abstract

Purpose

The study aims to understand the nature of traditional knowledge by examining how it is used and reinvented in the context of Xochimilco in Mexico City.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on field site visits and focus group interviews.

Findings

Traditional knowledge was being reinvented in two contrasting ways. One was based on heritage tourism drawing on syncretism between Aztec and Spanish culture in the formation of Xochimilco. The other was agro-ecological focussed on traditional farming practices on the chinampas, their productivity, their ability to sustain biodiversity and their link to social justice. There were some common elements, such as a passionate concern with retaining a valued past in the face of growing threat.

Research limitations/implications

Traditional knowledge is often seen as a static heritage, under threat. But it also has the potential to be a fertile source of strong identities and sustainable practices.

Originality/value

The paper helps to conceptualise the dynamic character of traditional knowledge.

Citation

Cox, A.M., Tiago Martins, J. and Rivera González, G. (2020), "Reassessing the LIS approach to traditional knowledge: learning from Xochimilco, Mexico city", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 76 No. 5, pp. 981-997. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-10-2019-0195