Turismo religioso e transformações socio-espaciais em Baependi – MG

Abstract

The city of Baependi, in the south of the state of Minas Gerais, is traditionally known for its water resources and it’s part of the Water Tourism Circuit. Nowadays, it counts on the presence of religious tourism activity in which visitors seek to know the places and the work of Nhá Chica, the blessed; Black woman, simple, not educated, granddaughter of slaves and a person that in life attracted hundreds of people to her circle, becoming a source of needs and wishes. After her death, the Blessed started to be adored and, in 2013, her Beatification was accomplished. This fact was part of a canonization process that increased propagation of her possible miracles. Thereby, an increasing number of visitors have been visiting the city in order to know more about Nhá Chica, which makes the city reach a greater flow of tourism that involves faith, which characterizes the religious tourism practice. This fact has contributed in its socio-spatial reproduction. The city of Baependi consolidates itself as a religious tourism destination and becomes “Nhá Chica Land”, fact that aggravates the relevant contradictions to its spatial reproduction. The tourism activity, while consumer of the places where it operates, has made its presence in the city spatial organization, transforming it for its operations. This way, as it contains the spatial organization, the spatial production process bases itself on the capital logic, imposing a programed rationality for commodification and consumption. We have, then, new models, result of articulated actions with the structure, adding value to the use value-trade value dialectic, providing a new sense for the spaces. Understanding the process of Baependi spatial production, highlighting some contradictions and establishing new ones are the reason for this work.