This work is a materially grounded ethnography of the heritage-making process in rural Mexico that has resulted in a phenomenon that I am calling heritage facadism. Heritage facadism is the creation of static and superficial interpretations of the past and present narratives by a variety of actors who create power imbalances, driving a wedge between already marginalized Indigenous communities and their histories and historic resources. My research tracks how Tihosuqueños respond to the creation of new historical narratives – who gets to tell what story, and who does that story benefit in the long-term? Tihosuco was the epicenter of the Maya Social War (1847-1901), a Maya rebellion that fought against oppressive social and economic systems imposed by the Mexican ruling class. I use a hybrid methodology that combines archaeological survey, historic building documentation, ethnographic interviews, and participant observation to investigate the legacy of the historic structures of Tihosuco and the use of the structures to construct new narratives about the past.Each chapter explores one of the processes by which heritage facadism comes into being: the materiality of the historic houses; the political involvement by outside actors; the laws and declarations of patrimony themselves; the regional tourism industry; and local preservation activities and community groups including our project. Each of these processes results in the creation of a disconnect between the stories people tell about their heritage- its nature, context, and perceptions of value- and the heritage itself. Each of these actors employs heritage in a different way, resulting in slightly different conceptions of the disconnect between people and their heritage. While this work started with a focus on tangible heritage and material, in the end, it is about the stories of heritage: who is telling them, how are they telling them, and what are the greater motivations behind their use. Heritage facadism is ultimately about the control of the narrative, and the ability to use narratives about culture to maintain asymmetrical power relationships. The consequences of facadism then become embedded in the physical and socioeconomic fabric of the town over time.