Uma praça e uma árvore: o patrimônio imaterial, memória coletiva da Praça 14 de julho e as narrativas fundantes da identidade de Canápolis/MG

Abstract

This article analyzes the process of formation and transformation of the urban landscape of Canápolis, Minas Gerais, with emphasis on Praça 14 de Julho (July 14th Square) and the symbolic Baru tree, based on the concepts of landscape, roughness, collective memory, and intangible heritage. It assumes that urban space is not only materiality, but also a support for narratives, social practices, and identity references. The study seeks to understand how the square and the Baru tree have become central elements of local memory and how urban transformations over time have impacted these symbolic references. Methodologically, the research has a qualitative approach, of a descriptive and interpretative nature, based on bibliographic and documentary research and oral accounts from residents and cultural agents. The results indicate that Praça 14 de Julho constitutes a place of memory, in which sociability, belonging, and collective identity are articulated. The Baru tree, in turn, stood out as a symbolic landmark of the city, bringing together narratives linked to community life, informal justice, and the construction of the local imaginary. It is concluded that urban transformations, although aimed at modernization and the requalification of public space, can also weaken material and symbolic references essential to the preservation of collective memory.

Keywords: Intangible heritage; Collective memory; Urban landscape; Canápolis; local identity.