The organization of the space analyzed by a cultural view allows us to visualize a range of material and immaterial aspects that go by the time and they materialize in the space, as a cultural legacy, that shows itself through the descent. In that perspective, this research is centered in the analysis of the construction of cultural identities in Rio Grande do Sul and its manifestation in the 'gaúcho' landscape, pointing out the main existent cultural areas now in the State. Our main goal was to regionalize the State by cultural criteria, in other words, to establish space cuttings in agreement with the predominant ethnic group, having as base the municipal limits. Delineated the regional cuttings, it was made the analysis of the cultural areas, in agreement with the expressiveness and the manifestation of the symbolic system that accompanies each society in its relation with the space and people. It is pointed out that, the principal cultural codes identification that emanate of each social group made the analysis of the contribution of each ethnic group for the construction of the 'gaúcho' culture possible. In that context, it can be considered the complexity of the ethnic-cultural composition of the 'gaúcho' territory, originating from the population flows, which were inserted by processes controlled by specific politics of incentive to the settlement and the colonization. Such situation originated portions of the space endowed with meanings that, in turn form a cultural plurality, in other words, nowadays, the State is constituted in a ethnic-cultural mosaic, composed by diversified ethnic groups, at the same time that are recognized as essentially 'gaúchos'.
culture; identity; cultural area; cultural codes; Rio Grande do Sul
