evidence: Sheep graze on the pampa gaucho, in front of the General Bento Gonçalves school, in Vila Thomaz Albornoz. The next water tank features the sovereignty of the Brazilian State, with the motto of the Army, painted on its façade: "Strong arm, friendly hand." [...] Forty Brazilian families live in the village of Thomaz Albornoz, created in 1985, just after the regime, to reinforce Brazilian ownership of the territory. However, its inhabitants feel the presence of the Uruguayan State more so than the Brazilian State.