São Luiz do Paraitinga: A Foundational Imaginary and Its Projections

ABSTRACT The article discusses the way the founding history of São Luiz do Paraitinga, stablished to the Morgado de Mateus administration in the old Province of São Paulo, was repeatedly used as an argument in the city's heritage listing processes as well as in the creation of its residents' memories. The article also analyzes other physical and historical characteristics of the region that are present in the imaginaries of the city. Despite its location in the Vale do Paraíba, the city only received a relatively mild influence of the coffee culture, because there is not an expressive set of monumental buildings as in other cities of the region. Among other reasons, the difficult access contributed to curb the financial development of São Luiz do Paraitinga between the end of the XIX and the beginning of the XX Centuries. The city strived to find an alternative in its cultural heritage and its touristic potential. An unexpected event, the flood that occurred in 2010, brought reflections on how to use the tradition and memory as support to reconstruct the city physically and morally, with the purpose of maintaining its identity. The article also makes a reflection about the limits of listings to preserve urban ensembles, which discussions and acts should be made in the realm of territorial planning and of management.