Symbolic space from the urban imaginaries in the Isla Mujeres Quintana Roo-Mexico

Abstract

In the last fifty years, the economic structure of Isla Mujeres was transformed from artisanal fishing to one stimulated by tourism. This process has impacted on the population dynamics and urban structure, in turn it has influenced the representation of urban imaginaries and the collective memory of the "islanders", where it remains in the discursive reconstruction and in the sociophysical appropriation of the symbolic space. The heterogeneity of the observed elements confirms the relationship between memory, identity, territory and sociophysical appropriation of urban space. To demonstrate the above, a qualitative methodological strategy based on life stories, photographic analysis and symbolic cartography is applied. The results expose the relationship between urban imaginary, community representation and memory around the changes in urban space, highlighting physical characteristics, historical features, symbols and fantastic narratives that link the community with the representative spaces of its cultural identity.