Identity-Defining Characteristics in the Landscape of Vila Iata, Rondônia: A Case Study in Isolated Territories

estudo de caso em territórios isolados

Abstract

This article analyzes the landscape of Vila Iata, in Guajará-Mirim (RO), as an expression of its identity-defining characters. It adopts a qualitative approach with participant observation, documentary research, and photographic records to understand how material, natural, and cultural elements structure the identity of the place and become collective references. The historical formation, linked to the Madeira-Mamoré Railway, the Iata Agricultural Colony, and regional economic cycles, generated visible transformations in tracks, bridges, dwellings, and public facilities. The Mamoré River, the forests, and sensory marks reinforce the environmental character, while practices and festivities express cultural life. Based on Bonesio’s concept of identity-defining characters, in dialogue with Assunto and Berque, the landscape is seen as dynamic, revealing both continuities and changes. The railway and its remnants symbolize unsettling memories, while festivities and natural elements strengthen bonds of belonging. It is necessary to document these elements to preserve Amazonian memory and identity in the face of threats such as hydroelectric plants and territorial decharacterization.