The Historic Center of Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage site, exemplifies the relationship between social practices and heritage conservation. This Andean urban area contains colonial buildings, baroque churches, and public squares shaped by layers of indigenous and Spanish cultures. Social and cultural dynamics in these spaces directly affect the conservation and use of architectural heritage. This study, based on a research-action process in La Tola neighborhood, explores how combining anthropological and design methodologies can support heritage preservation. The project adopts a participatory approach grounded in collaboration, dialogue, and collective creativity. Drawing on visual anthropology and the anthropology of design, it highlights relational aesthetics, emotional and embodied experiences, and improvisational practices as mechanisms for citizen engagement. Activities in community centers (“Casas Somos”) included collaborative workshops, participatory cartography, emotional mapping, and creative public interventions. These experiences suggest that heritage conservation extends beyond physical restoration by integrating everyday practices and social interactions. This perspective offers conceptual and methodological insights for similar urban contexts, proposing heritage as a matter of both preservation and the right to the city—the collective capacity to inhabit, transform, and decide on urban environments.