IPHAN maintains 1,047 sites, which include historic buildings, city centers, and landscapes.

The federal agency dedicated to the preservation of historic sites in Brazil was created in 1933 under the name Inspetoria de Monumentos Nacionais (IMN).

[2][3] The Serviço do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (SPHAN) was established in 1937 and replace to IMN; it was linked to the Ministry of Education and Health.

The establishment of SPHAN was led by Education Minister Gustavo Capanema and a team which included the poet Mário de Andrade.

The team, together with the lawyer Rodrigo Melo Franco, undertook a project to research and catalog a large number of historic sites across Brazil.