El pozo de tapextle como patrimonio tecnológico ante la expansión portuaria en la Laguna de Cuyutlán, Colima, México

Israel Osuna Flores; Mario Guadalupe López Ayala

doi:10.32351/rca.v11.440

Authors

Israel Osuna Flores Autonomous Indigenous University of Mexico https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0199-2983
Mario Guadalupe López Ayala Universidad Autónoma de Occidente https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5377-6257

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32351/rca.v11.440

Política de Crossmark DOI: https://doi.org/10.32351/politica-crossmark

Keywords:

tapextle well, artisanal salt, Cuyutlán Lagoon, technological heritage, port infrastructure

Abstract

Artisanal salt production is a historically significant cultural activity in the Cuyutlán Lagoon, Colima, Mexico. Within this system, the pozo de tapextle stands out as a traditional technology used to obtain brine through the leaching of saline soil, filtration, and solar evaporation. This article analyzes the tapextle well as technological heritage, not merely as a material structure, but as part of a system composed of territory, raw material, technical knowledge, community, and cultural landscape. Through qualitative documentary research with a Heritage Impact Assessment approach, the study reviews archaeological, historical, environmental, institutional, and heritage-related sources. The central argument is that port infrastructure expansion could affect salt-making heritage not only through direct physical destruction, but also through hydrological, sedimentary, territorial, and sociocultural transformations that may reduce the functional continuity of the practice. The article proposes a specific heritage assessment that integrates material heritage, intangible heritage, cultural landscape, productive territory, and the direct participation of salt workers.

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Author Biographies

Israel Osuna Flores, Autonomous Indigenous University of Mexico

Dr. Osuna is currently a Professor-Researcher at the Autonomous Indigenous University of Mexico (UNAM), affiliated with the Biotechnology Engineering Program at both the Virtual Unit and the Mochicahui Unit. He recently received an honorary doctorate from the International Organization for Inclusion and Quality Education (OIICE). He has held various positions, including Administrative Analyst and Reviewer at the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission; advisor to the company Acuícola Gilberto, S.C. de C.V., R.L.; and columnist for the online newspaper Phoenix Medios. He is currently the Coordinator of the Biotechnology Engineering Program (Virtual Unit) at UNAM. He teaches courses in Biology, Social and Solidarity Economy, Introduction to Biotechnology, Community Engagement Awareness, and Information Management Tools. He was Coordinator of the Projects Department at the Technology Transfer Office of the Autonomous Indigenous University of Mexico and is a member of the Sinaloa System of Researchers and Technologists. He has also been a Professor-Researcher at the same institution, where he taught courses in the Bachelor's Degree in Forestry Engineering and Sustainable Development (Forest Entomology, Biodiversity, Thesis Seminar, Environmental Projection, and Project Formulation and Evaluation), as well as in the Graduate Program in Sciences in Sustainable Development of Natural Resources (Aquaculture Production, Environmental Pollution, and Ecotoxicology). He has directed and advised two undergraduate theses and monographs and three graduate theses and dissertations. He was a member of the Academic Group on Sustainable Development. His research experience focuses on adding value to agroforestry products, pollution, and environmental toxicology. He has published articles in JCR-indexed, peer-reviewed, and popular science journals. In addition, he participates in various scientific societies and has served as a project evaluator at events such as the Pacific Regional Science Fair and the National Science Fair. He was a member of the National System of Researchers (SNI) as a Candidate from July 2002 to December 2005 and received recognition from the CONACYT Repatriation Program in 1999. His professional experience includes leading several research and outreach projects funded by COSNET and SECIHTI, as well as holding various academic and administrative positions, including: Head of the Toxic Waste Laboratory at the Center for Research in Food and Development, A.C. (Delicias Unit), and Director of Research at the Autonomous Indigenous University of Mexico (UNAM). He has been a candidate for Rector of UNAM in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, on three occasions (2017, 2021, and 2025). He has also worked at the National Technological Institute of Mexico (Los Mochis Campus), the University of the Sea, the Autonomous University of the West, the University of Guadalajara and the Center for Research in Food and Development, A.C. (Delicias Unit), where he has developed research projects and taught courses related to Fisheries Biology, Fisheries Technology, Ecology, Zoology, Aquaculture, Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology.
Mario Guadalupe López Ayala, Universidad Autónoma de Occidente

Mario Guadalupe López Ayala is a Mexican university professor and researcher. He holds doctoral degrees in Educational Innovation and Administration and in Psychopedagogy. He is affiliated with Universidad Autónoma de Occidente and Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Mexico. His scholarly work integrates human-centered artificial intelligence, socio-technical systems, applied psychology, educational innovation, and AI governance. His research examines the intersections of technology, cognition, human behavior, and institutional transformation, with particular attention to their social and ethical implications. He is an author and co-author of scientific publications, leads the Human-Centered AI & Socio-Technical Systems Lab, and develops research and science communication initiatives through Phoenix24, fostering knowledge generation and its transfer to society.

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