This article analyses the way that patrimony is used to supply the necessary scenographical assistance in the construction of touristic destinations, based on MacCannell, who argues that tourists are archetypical structuralists in search of "authentic images" of a mythical time. Also, this article reflects upon the existing reciprocity between the symbolic, political, and economic uses of patrimony, when the different social actors are involved in activating that patrimony. Thoughts on this reciprocity are here illustrated with a case of patrimonial activation at place in the Portuguese coast with a strong fishing tradition.
identity; memory; patrimony; tourism