Of soil, stone and word: a memory building in São Paulo – the Pátio do Colégio

Abstract

We experienced a proliferation of memory spatialization during the 20th century. The production of monuments and the conversion of buildings from historical sites into museums reflected national interests and those of local elites in the consolidation of values through certain historical cuts. The crisis in relation to traditional monuments and places of memory reveals the contemporary emergency for other historical narratives, the vindication of renewed uses of the city space, and the struggle for more social equality. This research starts from the reflection on the concept of monument on patrimonial policies and on the construction of memories in the public sphere, taking as object of study the ‘Pátio do Colégio’, site of São Paulo city foundation.