The SC orders the resignation of the person in charge of Security and Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage at INAH to be accepted.

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, p. 5

The head of the federal Ministry of Culture (SC), Claudia Curiel de Icaza, yesterday instructed the director general of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), Diego Prieto Hernández, to accept the resignation of Pedro Alberto Velázquez Castro, head of Security and Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage, the federal agency reported in a statement.

This comes after social media announced last week the temporary closure of some INAH facilities in Mexico City due to a lack of security personnel, which caused public outrage. At the time, a shift was taking place between Mexico City police and members of a security company.

The document specifies: instructions have been given to initiate administrative procedures for the Metropolitan Zone Auxiliary Police and the evaluation of similar protection bodies in the rest of the country .

Among the affected venues are the National Museum of Anthropology and the National Museum of History at Chapultepec Castle, the National Museum of Interventions, and the El Carmen Museum.

The former was awarded the 2025 Princess of Asturias Award just as it was closed. Access was restricted on June 3 and 4.

The INAH's mission is to safeguard Mexico's cultural heritage through research, conservation, protection, and dissemination of archaeological, anthropological, historical, and paleontological heritage, with the goal of strengthening society's identity and memory , according to the text released by the SC.

“The INAH was founded with the goal of preserving and restoring historical monuments, conducting explorations in archaeological sites, bringing Mexican history and culture to the public, and conducting scientific research.

In short, its vocation is focused on preserving and sharing the cultural and historical wealth of our country, both for current and future generations. The SC reiterates its commitment to doing what is necessary for the benefit of an essential institution for the Mexican State, such as the INAH, and the workers who comprise it , the statement concludes.

Pedro Velázquez Castro, who is said to be close to the former commissioner of the National Migration Institute, Francisco Garduño, was director of the Surveillance Center for that agency, although the INAH claims he was no longer working there when the fire at an immigration station in Ciudad Juárez occurred in 2023.

He was director of government in the Magdalena Contreras mayor's office and, along with Garduño, was a pre-candidate for deputy for the PRD in the Mexico City Legislature in 2019.