How We Work
Our culturally rich approach integrates:
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Rigorous research
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Community-centered engagement
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Culturally rooted storytelling
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Practical preservation planning
Together, these tools help ensure that Latinx heritage remains visible, protected, and valued.
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Preservation Consulting, Research, and Community Engagement
Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC) partners with communities, nonprofits, public agencies, and cultural institutions to protect the places that hold Latinx history, memory, and belonging. LHC is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing Latinx representation in historic preservation.
LHC brings together nationally recognized preservation professionals, historians, and community leaders with expertise in documenting, interpreting, and protecting Latinx heritage sites and stories nationwide.
Latinx communities across the United States have shaped neighborhoods, landscapes, and cultural traditions for generations. Yet many of these places remain under-recognized within traditional preservation systems. Through research, planning, and community-centered storytelling, we help partners identify, document, and steward the places that matter most.
Our team understands that buildings and landscapes are more than physical structures. They are places where lives unfolded—where migration, resilience, creativity, and community took root, reinforce living heritage, and continue to shape the present.
Through thoughtful collaboration, we provide actionable guidance, technical expertise, and community-focused solutions that ensure Latinx heritage remains visible, valued, and protected for generations to come.
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Strategic Preservation Consulting & Advocacy
Preservation work often begins long before a report is written, or a designation is pursued. LHC provides strategic guidance to help organizations, agencies, and communities navigate the systems that shape how heritage is recognized, protected, and funded.
Our consulting supports partners at critical moments—whether identifying cultural assets, strengthening preservation policy, pursuing landmark recognition, or building long-term advocacy strategies. We integrate research, planning, and community engagement to ensure that Latinx places and histories are not only documented but sustained.
National Register Nominations
Preparation and support for nominations to the National Register of Historic Places. Our team conducts historical research, prepares documentation, and develops narratives that meet federal standards while honoring the cultural significance of Latinx places.
Grant Writing, Evaluation and Support
Strategic guidance and proposal development for preservation grants from federal agencies, foundations, and public programs. We help partners articulate compelling project narratives, align proposals with funding priorities, and build competitive applications.
Cultural Asset Mapping
Collaborative documentation of places that hold meaning for Latinx communities—such as neighborhoods, gathering spaces, businesses, sacred sites, and cultural landscapes. Cultural asset mapping helps communities identify and elevate heritage resources that may not yet be formally recognized within preservation systems.
Cultural Heritage and Preservation Planning
Planning support for municipalities, cultural organizations, and agencies seeking to identify, protect, and interpret historically significant Latinx sites and neighborhoods into long-term decision-making. Projects combine research, community engagement, and policy guidance to inform preservation plans, land-use decisions, and stewardship strategies.
Preservation Policy Consulting
Advising organizations and public agencies on preservation policies, planning frameworks, and equity-centered strategies. Our work supports preservation approaches that reflect the diversity of communities and ensure historically overlooked places are considered in planning decisions.
Advocacy Strategy
Strategic guidance for organizations and community leaders working to protect culturally significant places. This may include coalition-building, public storytelling strategies, preservation campaigns, and policy engagement that strengthens the visibility and protection of Latinx heritage.
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Historic Preservation Reports
LHC prepares research-based reports that support responsible preservation decision-making, long-term stewardship, and funding opportunities. Each project centers community knowledge and the lived experiences of Latinx communities connected to the site.
Historic Structure Report (HSR)
A comprehensive report documenting the architectural evolution and current condition of a historic building. Combining archival research, architectural analysis, and on-site investigation, the HSR provides prioritized recommendations for repair, rehabilitation, and restoration.
Cultural Landscape Report (CLR)
A holistic study of cultural landscapes such as barrios, plazas, cemeteries, parks, agricultural fields, and community gathering spaces. The CLR documents historic development, evaluates existing conditions, and recommends preservation strategies that honor both historic significance and ongoing community use.
Preservation Plan / Management Plan
A long-range planning document that aligns preservation goals with site operations and community priorities. These plans outline policies, maintenance schedules, and phased preservation strategies to support long-term stewardship.
Historic Resource Survey
A systematic survey to identify, document, and evaluate historic resources within a neighborhood, corridor, campus, or municipality. Surveys support planning decisions, inform designation efforts, and bring visibility to Latinx places that have historically been overlooked.
Conditions Assessment Report
A focused evaluation of a building, structure, or specific elements such as roofs, foundations, structural systems, or historic finishes. The report identifies urgent issues and maintenance needs, with recommendations grounded in preservation of the best practices.
Historic Context Statement
A thematic narrative that situates a site, district, or group of resources within broader social, cultural, and architectural histories. Context statements provide the foundation for evaluating historical significance while illuminating the contributions of Latinx communities to local and national landscapes.
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Educational Programs and Keynotes
At LHC, education is a part of our mission – we see it as a powerful form of community engagement. Our talks and programs invite audiences to rethink preservation as a people-centered practice—one that connects cultural heritage, identity, and social change.
Keynote Addresses and Public Talks
Dynamic, visually rich presentations tailored for conferences, universities, foundations, government agencies, and community gatherings.
Topics may include:
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Latinx heritage and historic preservation
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Preservation as a tool for community power
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Inclusive storytelling and public memory
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Cultural landscapes and community identity
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The future of preservation in an increasingly diverse nation
Latinx Heritage Month Programs
Custom talks, panel discussions, and interactive sessions designed for Latinx Heritage Month and related observances. Programs highlight local and national Latinx heritage while offering practical ideas for institutions seeking to move from celebration toward long-term engagement.
Latinx Historian and Topic Expert
Historical consultation, guest lectures, and expert commentary on Latinx history, Borderlands heritage, Latinidad/culture, farmworkers and braceros, Cinco de Mayo, cultural appropriation, labor and civil rights movements, sacred spaces, and community landscapes, among other topics.
Teacher and Student Workshops Programs
Integrating Latinx history and cultura into the classroom is essential, not just as an add-on, but as a core part of students’ holistic educational journey. When teachers bring students’ lived experiences, family histories, and community narratives into the curriculum, they open space for deeper connection, belonging, and understanding.
As part of the Latinx Preservation Toolkit, Latinos in Heritage Conservation offers training designed to help educators meaningfully weave Latinx historic preservation into their practice. These workshops center real-world tools, community stories, and approaches that honor local knowledge.
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Community Engagement and Interpretation
Community leadership is central to LHC’s work. We design engagement processes that build trust, honor local knowledge, and support collaborative preservation efforts.
Community Workshops and Trainings
Interactive workshops that introduce preservation basics, oral histories workshops, conducting outreach to Latinx communities, documentation methods, and advocacy tools in accessible and often bilingual formats.
Interpretive Planning and Storytelling
Collaborative development of interpretive plans, museum exhibits, digital StoryMaps, and walking tours that center Latinx narratives and community histories.
Program and Curriculum Design
Support for non-profits, educators, museums, and cultural organizations seeking to integrate Latinx heritage into educational programming and interpretation via staff educational workshops.
PARTNERSHIPS
LHC frequently partners with:
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Federal agencies, including cultural and land management agencies
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State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs)
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Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs)
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City and regional planning departments (CLGs)
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Universities and research institutions
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Museums and cultural organizations
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Non-profit preservation, arts, and culture organizations
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Tribal and Indigenous organizations
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Community-based organizations and neighborhood coalitions
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Faith communities stewarding historic sacred spaces
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Foundations supporting cultural heritage initiatives
Our collaborative approach allows us to work effectively across sectors while centering the voices of the communities connected to each place.
Project Examples
Examples of recent or typical consulting projects include:
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Conducting cultural competency outreach strategies
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Preparing historic context statements documenting Latinx heritage across multiple regions of a state
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Conducting oral histories and cultural asset mapping via community engagement workshops for citywide preservation initiatives
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Developing preservation plans for historic Latinx community institutions and cultural sites
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Preparing National Register nominations for sites connected to Latinx civil rights and community history
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Creating bilingual preservation toolkits and educational resources for community organizations and schools
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Designing public history interpretation, digital StoryMaps, and walking tours that highlight Latinx cultural landscapes
Each project is tailored to the needs of our partners and the communities connected to the site.
WORK WITH US
We welcome conversations with organizations interested in partnering with LHC. To begin a conversation, please share the following information:
A member of our team will follow up to discuss the project and explore next steps.
