Azores Seeks Heritage Status for Viola da Terra Guitar
The Regional Government of the Azores is set to submit an application next week to include the “viola da terra”—an iconic wire guitar central to the archipelago’s identity—in Portugal’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
A Living Ancestor of Music
Described by experts as the “great-grandmother” of wire guitars, the viola da terra has preserved primordial musical traits that have vanished elsewhere. While similar instruments in mainland Portugal, Madeira, Cape Verde, and Brazil have faced periods of decline, the Azorean version has remained continuously active for centuries.
“It has always been active in traditions and celebrations,” said Wellington Nascimento, the project’s scientific coordinator. “Unlike other guitars that died out and were reborn, ours never stopped. It is a true symbol of Azorean identity.”
Mapping a Musical Legacy
The nomination is the result of a three-year intensive research project launched in 2023 by the Regional Directorate for Culture. Researchers traveled across every island in the archipelago, documenting 356 active players and producing 350 audiovisual recordings and over 1,000 photographs of instruments and historical materials.
Nascimento, a Brazilian researcher who dedicated his career to the instrument after moving to the Azores 30 years ago, believes the viola da terra is currently undergoing a vibrant social transformation. “In Pico, it plays the traditional ‘Chamarrita.’ In São Miguel, it has moved into the auditorium as a concert instrument,” he noted. “It isn’t dying; it is simply finding new spaces to thrive.”
Securing the Future Through Education
Regional Secretary for Education, Culture, and Sport, Sofia Ribeiro, emphasized that the application aims to safeguard a fundamental “identity structure” of the Azores. Beyond the heritage status, the government is working with renowned musician Rafael Carvalho to develop a regional curriculum for the instrument within secondary-level artistic education.
“We are investing in the future,” Ribeiro said. “By recognizing it as heritage and formalizing its teaching, we ensure that more young people will want to play and carry these traditions forward.”
Expanding the Azorean Heritage List
If approved, the viola da terra will join other Azorean cultural landmarks on the national list, such as the Carnival dances of Terceira and the religious pilgrims of São Miguel. The regional government also plans to seek heritage status for the Procession of Senhor dos Terceiros, the Cavalhadas de São Pedro, and the traditional techniques used to produce the famous São Jorge cheese.
Officials hope the national recognition will be finalized within a year, officially dignifying an instrument that, as Nascimento puts it, “has always been by the side of all Azoreans.”
Image: Pexels – Kampus Production
