Female Guarani Mbya Vernacular Technology and Biodiverse Cultural Heritage

Abstract

This article examines the vernacular technology of Guarani Mbya women’s architectural thought as a form of biodiverse cultural heritage and as a practice of resistance against architectural coloniality. It aims to foreground the concept of corpo-território [body-territory], in which nature, gender, and culture form an integrated system. To this end, the study departs from the examination of bamboo weavings used in artisanal practices and regarded as sacred, given their association with the myth of female creation. It analyzes how the imposition of hegemonic architectural models, particularly during the Jesuit reductions, erased ancestral construction knowledge and delegitimized non-Western modes of dwelling and cosmologies. The methodology is grounded in participatory processes conducted in Guarani villages, involving workshops and actions that integrate architecture, ethnobotany, anthropology, and gender studies, fostering horizontal exchange between oral and academic knowledge. The results demonstrate that bamboo weaving is not merely a material artifact, but a device of living memory and a political practice of cultural preservation. The research aligns with the theme of this edition of V!RUS journal by transforming historical conflicts into concrete, dialogical actions and practices. The work addresses the ecology of knowledges by articulating intercultural and insurgent dialogues, strengthening often invisibilized cultural heritage, and pointing to pathways for territorially rooted building practices in the face of epistemic domination.