A place of reference for the memory and identity of the Guarani people, the Tava, located in the area of the São Miguel Arcanjo Historical Site in São Miguel das Missões (RS), was built and inhabited by their ancestors at the request of their deity, Nhanderu. This sacred site has been recognized as MERCOSUR Cultural Heritage. The decision was made and announced at the XVII Meeting of the MERCOSUR Cultural Heritage Commission, held on October 30 and 31 in Montevideo, Uruguay.
The process of recognizing the Tava as MERCOSUR Cultural Heritage began during its registration by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan) in December 2014, when the site was inscribed in the Book of Registry of Places. At the time, Guarani leaders requested that the Tava also be recognized by Argentina and Paraguay. They asked Iphan to present the studies conducted on the site to the other countries, demonstrating its importance as a sacred place where everyone, both indigenous and non-indigenous, can learn about the history of the Guarani people.
The designation of the Tava by MERCOSUR recognizes the ancestral presence of the Guarani in the Yvy Rupá territory, which today spans Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, where they organized a vast ethnic network of villages, paths, and sacred sites. Traveling freely through this territory, as their ancestors, the ancient ones, once did, is one of the foundations of the "good living" that the Guarani wish to preserve.
Place of Reference
The Tava, a Place of Reference for the Guarani People, reflects the meanings and values attributed by the Guarani to the location widely known as the São Miguel Arcanjo Historical Site. It is a living space for diverse activities and learning for younger generations, as it is where their ancestors, known as the ancients, lived.
According to the narratives of the Guarani-Mbyá, the ancients followed the tenets of Guarani "good living," planting and harvesting traditional foods, singing and praying in their Houses of Prayer, traveling across a vast territory, founding villages, and erecting stone structures—the Tavas—to guide the journey of contemporary Guarani.
The Guarani Tava holds a deep cosmological meaning. Being in ruins, it bears witness to the finite nature of earthly life, while simultaneously demonstrating that this condition can be transcended, just as the ancients who built it did. They became enchanted beings and reached the celestial home of the immortals, where everything remains alive and is renewed.
Thus, the Tava evokes a sense of belonging and identity. Furthermore, through it, the Guarani-Mbyá interpret the historical event of the Missions, incorporating it into their narratives and reshaping it according to the logic of their cosmology.
Via Iphan.
This article was written by Iphan. The translation is powered by AI.
