Sierra Gorda Querétaro: Sustainable Tourism at Los Sauces Campground

Within the most unusual corners of the Sierra Gorda de Querétaro there are brilliant minds capable of generating a change to the impact that little by little we have been leaving on our ecosystems; an example of this is in Ayutla, Arroyo Seco, specifically in the Los Sauces camp, where more than service providers, they are caretakers of their own natural resources and have implemented a series of actions that have favored the environment. In addition, with the help of tourism, they have been able to share their ancestral knowledge and their sense of belonging and protection with visitors.

Tourism as a strategy for the care of nature: Los Sauces Campground

One of the practices employed at this site is the ".bahareque", which is an earth construction technique where they use their own vegetation; in this place they use it for the elaboration of huts made of mud and straw, forming a paste that helps their thermal inertia to have a cooler and more comfortable temperature. In addition to representing an innovative idea, it is also pleasing to the eye and reduces the use of materials that are not environmentally friendly. It is worth mentioning that the people involved in this process are mainly women and people from the same cooperative, who share the same objective: to make tourism a strategy for the care of their natural resources.

On the other hand, they carry out activities to diversify their products such as the fish hatchery, developed by the same people who are in this camp to supply the needs of visitors who come to camp and eat food at the site's restaurant. Another practice they implement is dry bathing, and one day a week they do not open the site because the owner believes it is necessary to give the resources a rest to promote their regeneration, and the locals clean the river and the camping area.

Sustainable living: Tonatico, Pinal de Amoles

Another locality that stands out is Tonatico, Pinal de Amoles, where Rancho Suelo Vivo is located, a place dedicated to sustainable rural life along with activities that offer interaction with nature such as camping, organic vegetable garden, workshops and production of artisanal cheeses. The family responsible for the place implemented a productive project focused on the regeneration of soils, consuming agroecological products and guiding people to learn about the organic process of food by collecting them.

It is worth mentioning that they perform their own pest control so that the whole process is lived in an environmentally friendly way, their goal is that all activities, including tourism, are lived in a respectful and conscious way, also implementing this sustainable methodology in communities with social projects to reinforce these techniques and for this they involve each of the social agents that are part of the community.

Transitioning to regeneration through rural tourism

These places are an example of how to work rural tourism with characteristics to transition to a regenerative tourism since they make us aware of our ecosystems in a responsible way, they also encourage locals and tourists to work in the conservation of their environment (helps to conserve and develop a rural life with resilient characteristics), specifically in these sites.

It is important to consider that as tourists it is our responsibility to adapt ourselves to the places we visit and we must keep in mind that when we visit places that imply living a rural tourism; that is, in a closer way with the locality, we should ask ourselves what kind of footprint we want to leave there?

*Student of the Bachelor's Degree in Cultural and Natural Tourism Management at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Tequisquiapan Campus.