Ethnographic observation and cultural assessment of the San Francisco neighborhood in Tunja, Boyacá.

Abstract

The aim of this article is to determine the physical conditions, infrastructure, roads, environmental conditions, and social organization of the San Francisco neighborhood in the city of Tunja, which impact or may have some incidence on the health of its inhabitants. A qualitative research methodology was used, employing participant observation and field diary records, allowing for the identification of the population's cultural characteristics through an educational exercise developed in the field of family and community medicine at UPTC. This article is developed within the framework of ethnographic research, understood as an exercise of rigor and sensitivity that allows for describing, understanding, and experiencing the way of life of a community, learning to observe the everyday, learning to be present, and learning to interpret the codes and signs/symbols through which cultures establish and order their world. The guide can be expanded, improved, and adapted for different disciplines.