I intend to carry out a reflection on the cultural heritage of the Greater Madureira region, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The idea is to unravel the process of defining the identity of a territory strongly anchored in the African-Brazilian memory, and to contemplate the elements involved in the definition of such cultural heritage. The identity is based on the memory of some of these assets, among which are the local samba houses. The objectives are to broaden the discussion on the concepts of categorizing and valorizing heritage and to question the dichotomy between tangible and intangible heritage. The region and its popular “black territories” bring to mind concepts that gave its specificity to the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, of which the Madureira neighbourhood is a symbol.