O Monte Alentejano na encruzilhada do tempo

Abstract

At least until the seventies, the traditional farm of Alentejo (monte) is a type of habitat with architectonic structures often presenting a singular vernacular heritage value. In the last thirty to forty years, the social-economical dynamics have led to an increased rationalization of the agricultural systems, with an intensified mechanization, the development of monocultures and the introduction of new cultures. Also, these dynamics have contributed to an increasing rural depopulation, with a radical change in the local social networks, causing a loss of social cohesion, among other problems. In the meantime, what has become of the monte of Alentejo? Which way has been chosen for the change to new functionalities? Is the monte of Alentejo condemned to disappear or be transformed into another reality? What happened to its heritage values? These questions have not been given the deserved attention whether from the society or from the politicians with institutional responsibilities. In this work, the present situation of some montes, in different landscapes of Central Alentejo, has been studied and compared. One particular intent has been to analyse if traditional uses of the spaces related to agriculture and cattle breeding have been kept over the last decades with no great changes in volumetries and architectonic morphologies of buildings. On the other hand, the impact on heritage resulting from the adaptation of architectonic structures to new functions, as the touristic ones, has been considered. The people who have been working there for centuries have not only built up, even draw, the montado landscape around the montes, but also have developed uses, social and cultural practises centered in those montes and villages nearby, meaning an intangible heritage quite specific. With the changes, what happened to the traditional know-how, the ritual and festive events, the music and other kind of performing arts and also to the rich oral traditions? The more contrasting the landscapes are, the richer is the comparison and it helps to understand if the problem affects all the territory indistinctly or is deeper in some particular landscapes. Because of the need to produce for a global market, many traditional agricultural systems are being transformed. It is the case of the montado, a landscape with a high heritage value which is losing character, and so is its vernacular built heritage. This study aims at understanding the different paths that have led the monte of Alentejo to changes which are not always evident nor perceptible. In one word, this paper is an attempt at giving some answers to the questions referred to above.