Paulo Tavares Proposes Architecture as Advocacy for Indigenous Rights in Memória da Terra Project

At the seminar 'Arte Além da Arte' on September 6, 2018, architect and curator Paulo Tavares presented his project Memória da Terra, which investigates the forced displacement of the Xavante people in Mato Grosso. Tavares, co-curator of the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial and a professor at the University of Brasília, argued that Brazilian modernization has an intrinsically colonial foundation. He described the 20th-century environmental destruction, particularly during the military dictatorship, as an architectural project of territory. The project uses 'image archaeology,' analyzing historical journalistic photos and recently declassified US satellite imagery to map vanished villages. Researchers identified botanical signatures—trees growing in the same arc patterns as the original village layouts—as living ruins. Tavares questioned whether forests could be considered architectural heritage. The project's evidence has been compiled into a report submitted to Iphan and UNESCO, petitioning for the land to be recognized as architectural patrimony. The work is conducted in partnership with indigenous populations of the region.