175 and facilities had to be abandoned without an adequate Closure Plan being implemented, due to a lack of updated legislation, causing their deterioration and, in many cases, turning them into mining liabilities as sources of environmental disruption in their surroundings (Cenzano, 2007). In view of this, it is necessary to ask whether the depletion of a mine necessarily means that the deposit, its facilities, and infrastructure are no longer of interest to society. In many countries around the world, depleted or uneconomical deposits have been considered "industrial archaeological heritage," so that through a conversion project to showcase their value, it may serve as a testimony and motivation for future generations to promote or value this activity, as has been done in various countries, as can be seen in the digital bibliography reviewed and, in some trips, made by the author abroad over several years (Cenzano, 2007). Likewise, this type of project has been gaining great global relevance in recent years, as mining heritage can be converted, if protected and preserved, into a source of wealth and a focus of attraction for new business initiatives such as tourism, and into an important alternative for the future development of areas where mining was once perhaps the main occupation and source of livelihood (Delgado Domínguez, Romero Macías, & Regalado Ortega, 2012). In the case of Peru, to date, there are no suitable centers in the areas with the highest mining activity to store and maintain assets, such as mining infrastructure, equipment, industrial plants, etc., which were used in mining throughout the country's history and can be considered industrial archaeological heritage to be valued by the surrounding community (Cañizares Ruiz, 2011). Many of these "assets" in this country are located in different places within the properties of various private companies, the state, and communities that, due to their age and poor condition, are considering them in their mine closure or liability plans and are likely to be closed and/or demolished. However, with state promotion and an adequate legal framework, a good percentage of them could be considered mining "archaeology" and converted into theme parks and/or mining museums (Cenzano, 2007). Against this background, this study focuses on the potential incorporation of mining tourism into mine closure and post-closure strategies in Peru. Rather than proposing tourism as a substitute for remediation or closure obligations, the paper examines under what technical, legal, institutional, and social conditions certain mining components could be preserved, adapted, and managed as cultural, educational, and economic assets. This approach seeks to contribute to the discussion on responsible mine closure by highlighting the possible postmining value of selected infrastructure, provided that safety, environmental stability, and community participation are ensured. 2. THE CONVERSION OF MINES: A PARADIGM SHIFT 2.1. From Liabilities to Assets: Fundamentals of Post-Mining Conversion The repurposing of mining facilities is a significant option for post-extraction management, as it allows for the restoration, rehabilitation, and enhancement of certain mining components for tourism, educational, cultural, and economic purposes. This approach is particularly applicable to old mines, disused facilities, or mining environmental liabilities
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