Paisagem, patrimônio e políticas públicas: as missões jesuítico-guaranis como elo raiano na fronteira entre Brasil, Argentina e Paraguai

Abstract

This work aims to produce an interdisciplinary study between Geography and Architecture to understand the role of landscape and historical heritage as elements of cultural and social approximation among peoples in frontier situations. For this, the starting point is the reading keys of the landscape, the historical heritage and public policies, in order to build a critical interpretation about the potential of the architectural remnants of the Jesuit-Guarani missions as a base element for the transboundary regional development of the strip border that comprises the northwest of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil; the province of Misiones, in Argentina; and the department of Itapúa, in Paraguay. The Jesuit missions are one of the strategies adopted by the Portuguese and Spanish crowns for the colonization of South American lands between the 16th and 18th centuries, and the experiences with the Guarani peoples are considered the most economically and culturally successful. At the end of the 20th century, a group of these historic sites were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Currently, this spatial cut is characterized by week development, with a lack of connection points on the border between countries. Therefore, we analyze this cultural complex in search of possible border relationships, that is, social relationships that go beyond territorial limits through landscape continuities. This search took place starting with the way these sites are presented to visitors, as well as the heritage values attributed to them. Thus, we investigate whether these relationships can constitute political, economic and cultural approximations in this territory, promoting transnational integration. As methodological procedures, we used two landscape apprehension methodologies: the Urban Landscape Catalog and the Topoceptive Performance Assessment through the Sequential Record of site visitation. The analysis strategies were also composed: bibliographic review of the concepts and objects of study, technical visits to historical sites and field work on the border. The analytical strategy was based on the researchers' perceptions, transforming them into protagonists of the landscape experience. The results point to incipient approximations in the midst of the management of historic sites, but also indicate that the local communities have affective bonds with the heritage much greater than those expressed in the landscape of the sites, causing a mismatch between territorial action and the feelings of the populations.