Some Anecdotes on the Vicissitudes of Jujuy’s Archives: Reflections on Legislation and Assessments of Their Importance as Cultural Heritage

Abstract

This paper examines the archival holdings of Jujuy, both public and private, from its foundation to the present.

First, it refers to the historical fluctuations that led to the dispersion and/or disappearance of documentation from what is now the province of Jujuy, from early periods to the present day.

Second, it analyzes the legislation concerning the province’s public archives and the political tendencies expressed through it regarding the fate and importance of documentary sources.

It then considers the private archives existing in the province and the need for their cataloguing, which would enhance their value and make them accessible to researchers and the general public as valuable resources for approaching the history of Jujuy.

Finally, the paper offers some considerations on the importance assigned by the state and by society as a whole to documentary repositories, not only as heritage to be safeguarded but fundamentally as a “memory for the future”. These repositories are understood as invaluable resources for reconstructing our history—not a history forged by biased readings, but an approach to a reality that may contribute to the reformulation of our identity as a result of our past.