The release of the chosen proposal for the new National Museum of Ecuador (MuNA) has initiated one of the most significant recent architectural debates in the country. The subsequent public reaction altered the competition itself while also raising broader questions about how a national museum architecturally shapes the perception of a nation.
Although national museums are expected to represent a nation, there is an even greater expectation that they provide an architectural form to that identity. However, it is impossible to construct identity directly; it must first be interpreted and then translated through the choices made in the design.
After decades of debate among geographers and geologists, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) established a new definition for what constitutes a mountain in Brazil, scientifically confirming the presence of this type of relief in the national territory.
Previously, the classification of Brazilian relief was a subject of controversy. The book O Homem e a Serra (The Man and the Mountain Range) (1963), written by engineer and geographer Alberto Ribeiro Lamego, already addressed the influence of terrain on the country's occupation, citing the difference between colonization in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Lamego observed that the terrain dictated the paths of occupation, noting that in restricted coastal areas, settlers climbed the mountain range in search of land.
Although Lamego used the term 'mountains,' the classification remained disputed for many years. Many people learned that Brazil lacked mountains, associating them only with extreme elevations like the Himalayas or the Andes. However, geographical studies have evolved significantly since Lamego's initial work, culminating in a scientific consensus in 2026 that Brazil has mountains.
The modern concept of a mountain was initially imported from the United Kingdom in the 19th century. British cartographers defined a mountain as an elevation with at least 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) above the surrounding terrain, also requiring at least three steep slopes. This definition was adopted by professionals in other countries and is included in the Brazilian Geological Geomorphological Dictionary.
Professionals such as Lamego, Aroldo de Azevedo, Aziz Ab’Saber, and Francis Ruellan contributed to Brazilian studies. Initially, some geologists linked mountain formation to orogeny, the movement of tectonic plates, as occurs in the Andes and the Himalayas. However, since Brazil does not have active tectonism, this theory did not apply locally.
In 2019, Rosangela Botelho, an IBGE geographer, proposed a relief classification system similar to those used for soil and living beings, aiming to end terminological divergences. IBGE, in partnership with the Brazilian Geological Survey (SGB), the Union of Brazilian Geomorphology (UGB), and universities, formed a commission composed of about 70 specialists. This work resulted in the consensus that there are mountains in Brazil.
Lucas Krein Rademann, a geographer from UFSM, explains that what changed was the official understanding of what a mountain is, because before only formations linked to modern folding were considered. He points out that Brazil has large ancient mountain ranges that have been worn down by erosion.
The most accepted hypothesis suggests that Brazilian mountains arose not from plate movement, but from the uplift of the lithosphere. 480 million years ago, the territory had peaks comparable to the Himalayas, although temporal wear has reduced their altitude. Furthermore, a vertical movement of blocks formed the relief of the Serra do Mar 70 million years ago.
According to the new classification, 14 Brazilian states have mountains, with Minas Gerais registering the most, followed by Roraima. The IBGE commission also replaced the term 'depression' with 'lowered surface,' considering it imprecise, which is a crucial change since depressions cover 60% of the country.
The standardization of scientific understanding brings relevance to public policies, such as risk management and tourism. Rademann states that there will be changes in geography teaching, allowing areas classified as mountains to integrate into landslide prevention policies. Faria highlights that correct topography influences infrastructure planning and awareness of risk areas, in addition to valuing tourist destinations.
With the new definitions, locations previously classified as plateaus, such as the Serrana Region of Rio and the Guiana Plateau area, are now considered mountainous regions. However, Faria clarifies that Mount Roraima, despite being in the Guiana Plateau, should be seen as a large plateau due to its extensive area.
