"Nothing about us, without us!": Memories, identifications, and the search for historical reparation in the struggle to preserve the archaeological site of Quilombo do Saracura (City of São Paulo, Brazil)

This article presents reflections on the struggle to preserve an archaeological site discovered in 2021 during a subway construction work in the city of Sao Paulo (Brazil), in the Bixiga neighborhood. The association of the discovery with a maroon's occupation that has been a reference in the memory of the black populations of Bixiga for generations, has since mobilized a very significant number of civil society organizations, especially of the black movement, linked to samba, Carnival, and the daily life of the neighborhood. Taking as the anchor of the discussion the manifesto launched by these organizations in defense of the archaeological site and actions to preserve and disseminate it, and based on relevant documents and bibliography to the problem addressed, the article analyzes the links between this struggle and disputes over memory, the fight for plural historical narratives, tensions in the heritage field, the exercise of rights and demands for historical reparation, taking into account contemporary debates on these issues and highlighting the singularities observed in the case studied.