Entre o mapa e o vivido

This article aims to analyze the issue of the municipal border between the municipalities of Ilópolis and Arvorezinha, located in Rio Grande do Sul. There is a conflict between the two municipalities over the ownership of the community of São Lourenço. The article seeks to understand how the legal delimitation of borders can conflict with the lived territory. To this end, it brings to light the discussion of local power, representative democracy, and the centralization of state decision-making in the face of local mobilizations. Through documentary research, analysis of historical sources, and local news reports, it is evident that the dispute is not restricted to cartographic legality, but also involves collective memory, belonging, and forms of active citizenship.