{"id":5025,"date":"2019-03-14T10:35:21","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T15:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/preservation\/?p=5025"},"modified":"2019-03-14T10:35:21","modified_gmt":"2019-03-14T15:35:21","slug":"pagan-heads-to-puerto-rico-for-cultural-heritage-conservation-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/conservation\/2019\/03\/14\/pagan-heads-to-puerto-rico-for-cultural-heritage-conservation-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Pagan heads to Puerto Rico for cultural heritage conservation project"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pagan<\/a>
Pagan (first row, second from the left) and other participants take group photo at the National Historic Site, Castillo de San Cristobal in San Juan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

[ezcol_2third] Candida Pagan, project conservator, traveled to Puerto Rico in early February to participate in the Helping Puerto Rican Heritage Project (HPRH).<\/p>\n

Puerto Rico faces specific preservation challenges due to the tropical climate. Salt and humidity, along with more catastrophic weather like hurricanes, pose issues for institutions that house archives and collections. HPRH seeks to educate participants about conservation efforts in Puerto Rico while also advising conservators about care and preservation of their collections.<\/p>\n

During HPRH, Pagan and the other participants toured a number of cultural heritage sites including the San Juan National Historic Site, Museo de Arte de Ponce, and the Hacienda Buena Vista, a living history museum whose coffee crops were damaged during Hurricane Maria. Participants also toured the Materials Characterization Center at the University of Puerto Rico\u2019s Molecular Science Research Center. The Project included a symposium at the Fundaci\u00f3n Luis Mu\u00f1oz Mar\u00edn, during which Pagan presented on basic book care and conservation. The presentations were followed by a Q & A, one of many sessions that Pagan enjoyed throughout her time with HPRH. The final day was a work day at Casa Blanca followed by a tour of La Casa del Libro for book and paper conservators.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of people who care about the preservation of cultural property and history,\u201d Pagan said. \u201cThere are over 500 years-worth of historical artifacts from the time of Spanish and US governance, and a rich archaeological history that tells us about the lives of indigenous people before then.\u201d [\/ezcol_2third] [ezcol_1third_end]<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Cannonball conservation at Castillo San Felipe del Morro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Debora<\/a>
Debora Mayer, Helen H. Glaser Senior Paper Conservator at Weisman Preservation Center speaks during Q&A at Fundaci\u00f3n Luis Mu\u00f1oz Mar\u00edn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

[\/ezcol_1third_end]<\/p>\n