Aging & Social Change: Ninth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

This study analyzes how elderly people are using cultural spaces as a means to avoid sedentarism, to nurture their cultural capital, and by doing so, protect and promote their social connectedness. The paper focuses on Mexico City, the largest metropolitan core in Latin America. The principal database is the Museums Statistics, years 2016 and 2017. This database is managed by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico, and consists of data collected by museum personnel during visits. The theoretical framework intersects active aging with the approach of human and social capital. We identify museums as spaces which serve various purposes: as spatial nodes that boost mobility and social connectedness; as destinations for cultural discourse; and as repositories capable of satisfying curiosity and the need to be active in society. This approach also attempts to discuss and add to the analysis of the urban ecology, the cultural turn, and regional economy of Mexico City. The database offers information to answer questions regarding regional access to museums. A series of crosstabs and resultant spatial analysis are offered. We include analysis of elderly people working as employees or volunteers in the museums with information by level of education, use of language, and other variables. This paper adds theoretical insights to the social connectedness of elderly people and to the social and human capital approach for this demographic group, and by doing so, we evaluate the inclusivity and use patterns of cultural spaces in Mexico City.