Un estudio sobre jardines históricos: manifestaciones del paisaje cultural en la ciudad de Natal/rn, Brasil

this article deals with the historical gardens in the city of natal and ponders: why do attempts to revitalize our historical center not reach their goals? why are public open areas abandoned by the population, so that they start deteriorating again? the study tries to identify, to recognize and to alert for the necessity to preserve the historical gardens, trying to be effective guaranteeing that the historical and cultural landscape remains and will be available for future generations. in order to give an account of history through its urban prints, our research stands between history of everyday life and cultural geography, choosing culture - ways of life, habits, sense of identity and everyday life- as a component of the relations between man and the space that surrounds him. therefore, a historiographic reconstruction was carried out, using photographic records and literary descriptions, to turn previous morphologic compositions into virtual reality. the procedure shall be adopted in eight parks, previously identified as natal's historical gardens. the case of augusto severo square, covered here, deals with a previous restoration during which a large esplanade was built, lacking vegetation and inappropriate given local climate and habits. since the opportunity of cultural rescue has been lost, at this moment, we expect that the area will recover its place in people's memory and daily life.