Visual Identity Based on Ancestral Iconography: A Strategy for Re-Evaluation of the Caranqui Cultural Heritage in the Gualimán Archaeological Site (Ecuador)

Abstract

Iconography is one of the most powerful ways to express the cultural identity of a community through the creation of symbols that promote its re-evaluation, although it is not always used as a way to promote this cultural development. The aim of this research is to emphasize visual identity based on ancestral iconography as a strategy in the re-evaluation of the Caranqui culture and in the transmission of knowledge about the archaeological site of Gualimán. The methodology consisted of a documentary analysis of the civilization, which was completed with in-depth interviews with the managers and a survey of 295 residents. The obtained results have allowed us to deepen our understanding of the Caranqui culture, identifying vehicles to promote its re-evaluation. Among the conclusions is that the contribution of an identity based on its own symbols reinforces the feeling of belonging and turns its inhabitants into bearers of their own ancestral legacy.

Keywords

• territorial identity
• cultural rescue
• symbolic interpretation
• ancestral semiotics
• social networks
• communicational strategies