Hungarian cultural-ethnic heritage in Brazil

Abstract

It is known that the colonization process in the Southern region of Brazil started through the immigration of several European groups that went to Brazil between the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1891 the settlement that today is the city of Jaragua do Sul began to be occupied through the arrival of many groups, from different ethnicities. Approximately 230 families, coming mainly from Veszprém County, and from Székesfehérvár region, settled down around the bank of the Jaraguá river. This paper focuses on the history of the colonization process of the Hungarians, through the review of the documentation found on the last visit to the research location. This paper describes how the Hungarian cultural road developed until today, based on the narratives of Hungarian descendants and pictures of the main architecture and the landscape found and built by the diaspora. This occupation is connected with the assimilation process with the other ethnic groups that also composed the mosaic of the occupation of Jaragua do Sul. The main question surrounding this work is about the main cultural elements of Hungary that are still present in their lives, through the architecture, the cultural landscape, and how the visual memory is helping to shape their identity.