The reflection proposed by this article aims to understand the geo-historical processes in the spatial organization of the area of Rio Grande do Sul State called Serra dos Tapes by showing the connections among the various dimensions in the space fabric that involve society and nature. Geography is here understood as a result of the interactions between social groups and the physico-cultural environment in building the basis for settlement, fundamentally directed towards the identification of the elements that take part in the appearance of specific territorial communities, such as the colonial highland region of Canguçu, Pelotas and São Lourenço do Sul municipalities.