The University of São Paulo, one of the largest institutions of higher education in Latin America, has more than 40 teaching and research units, distributed among the campuses in the capital and countryside of the state of São Paulo, in addition to teaching units, museums, and research centers located outside these spaces and in different municipalities. All this adds up to a set of cultural assets made up of buildings and monuments, as well as natural areas, museums, collections of a diverse nature, academic documentation, and cultural references. It is from this heritage that the academic community establishes processes of knowledge construction, belonging, daily relationships, value, and builds its memories.
To present part of this vast and rich cultural heritage, USP’s Center for Cultural Preservation/Casa de Dona Yayá launches the Roteiros do Patrimônio da USP project, with three itineraries for visits to the University City “Armando de Salles Oliveira”, to downtown São Carlos, and to the São Carlos campus.
These are walking tours that pass by buildings and architectural complexes of cultural and historical relevance, such as the Faculdade de Direito do Largo São Francisco building, the Centro Universitário Maria Antonia, the Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, and the building known as E1, which is part of the original design of the university town of São Carlos. Many of the stops are recognized and listed by heritage preservation agencies in Brazil.
The CPC-USP has already held a series of tours for freshmen at USP and other higher education institutions at the beginning of the year and is now opening the agenda to the general public, with tours accompanied by monitors. For each route, a leaflet was produced with a map of the place, the suggested route, and a presentation about each stopping point. The visit experience is complemented by audios available in QRCode with information about the locations and sound recordings of the USP’s environments, expanding the possibilities of understanding the visited spaces.
The activity takes place once a month, always on Wednesdays, with advance registration, in institutional events, or for specific groups. Anyone can enroll, individually or in groups, even if they have no link to the University. Participation is free and enrollment is made through an electronic form.
The Roteiros do Patrimônio da USP provide continuity to CPC’s research and publications, which seek to identify, disseminate, and problematize the University’s cultural heritage and its cultural references.
USP freshmen on an itinerary through the Butantã campus (Photo: CPC-USP Collection, 2023)
Itineraries
Heritage Roadmaps at USP Campus Butantã
The route through the University City “Armando Salles de Oliveira” explores the daily life at USP, with examples of the cultural heritage of the campus, starting from the Centro de Práticas Esportivas and continuing to the Conjunto Residencial, Escola Politécanica, Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo and Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas. By valuing the everyday uses and experiences, the places and buildings, as well as the memories, the route proposes a reflection on the multiple meanings of the cultural heritage of the University of São Paulo.
USP Heritage Routes Downtown São Paulo
The University of São Paulo is closely related to the central region of the capital. The higher education institutions that gave rise to USP in 1934, with the exception of the Escola Superior de Agricultura in Piracicaba, were located in this region, such as the Faculdade de Direito, the Faculdade de Medicina, the Escola Politécnica, the Faculdade de farmácia e Odontologia, the Escola de Medicina Veterinária, the Instituto de Educação and the Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras. The construction of the university campus in the Butantã neighborhood led to the transfer of some units there, with the so-called Quadrilátero da Saúde, the Faculdade de Direito, a unit of the Faculdade de Arquitetura Urbanismo e Design, and extension and cultural organs remaining in the Center.
Heritage Roadmaps at USP São Carlos Campus
Starting from the Centro de Divulgação Científica e Cultural (CDCC), in downtown São Carlos, and ending at the main gate of the campus, on Avenida Trabalhador São Carlense, the route aims to understand the university heritage beyond the campus, reaching the city itself. It goes through the main points of the university experience in the Universidade de São Paulo, visiting buildings, open areas and places of significance to the memory and history of USP.
Schedule
All tours will be held on Wednesdays from 2:00 to 5:00 pm.
∎ 28th July
Roadmaps: Campus USP Butantã and Downtown São Paulo
∎ 12th July
Roadmaps: Campus USP São Carlos
∎ 26th July
Roadmaps: Campus USP Butantã and Downtown São Paulo
∎ 16th August
Roadmaps: Campus USP São Carlos
∎ 30th August
Roadmaps: Campus USP Butantã e Downtown São Paulo
Anticipated registration
https://forms.gle/W17AuV73tqaVMxpXA
Translated by: Lara Yoshime Shizuko Fukushima