PROTECTION AND PREVENTION OF THE IBERO AMERICAN CULTURALHERITAGE FROM ENVIRONMENTAL BIODETERIORATION. A CHALLENGE FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM

摘要

Biodeterioration of the cultural property is the physical or chemical damage effectedrnby biological organisms on objects, monuments or buildings belonging to the culturalrnheritage.rnIbero American cultural heritage covers a wide variety of archeological monumentsrnand items deemed to have artistic or historic significance by both the local and therninternational society. Due to the diversity of climates that can be found in such anrnextended area, several factors would be involved in different extents, in relation tornmaterial decay. These factors are: i) biodeterioration processes; ii) atmosphericrncorrosion or weathering of the materials exposed to open air; iii) natural andrnanthropogenic pollution.rnMicroorganisms are strongly involved in chemoorganothrophic and chemolithotrophicrnbiodeterioration processes. The most relevant mechanisms by which microorganismsrncan induce the biodeterioration of monuments of cultural property are:rna) microbial production of acids or acidic metabolites; b) microbial complexing actionrnon some components of the structural material; c) microbial production of surfactants;rnd) microbial transformation of mineral components of the rock and; e) microbialrnbiodeterioration through mechanical effects. To illustrate some of these mechanismsrnsome cases of biodeterioration affecting different Mayan buildings located in thernYucatan Peninsula, Mexico, are briefly described.