Strategies for the inclusion of indigenous peoples in a mexican network of planetariums

Presentation theme: inclusion diversity equity accessibility

Quintana Roo’s mexican state is located at the southernmost point of the country, showered by the Caribbean sea's pristine waters. It harbors too the: Quintana Roo’s Planetarium Network, composed by four planetaria located in the cities of Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and Chetumal. 

The state’s population is mainly represented by mestizos, although almost 23% are indigenous, mostly mayans. Demographic data shows a positive correlation between social backwardness and marginalization, and belonging to an original ethnic group. Since its creation in 2011, it has received hundred of thousands of visitors, however, the arrival of a new nation’s project and its local counterpart, has placed emphasis on the inclusion of indigenous peoples as well as other underrepresented groups, which has led us to think about strategies that can accelerate the inclusion of those historically ignored, as a primary objective. 

This has led to a rethinking of our outreach programs, which include a science caravan made up of one mobile planetarium and two science trucks that travels through remote towns and rural areas, whose contents, however, have historically been not really inclusive and have little relevance to the nature of the public it serves.

Image © Arena Berlin