Since the integration of Spain and Portugal in the European Union, the formal discourse and rhetoric of governments is loaded with the idea that “the time of the border is over”, presupposing a new stage of opening between neighbouring villages, once opposed, now twinned. In this scenario, some peripheral and border populations of Spain and Portugal live an interesting paradox, because the tourism sector and local governments place value on the border, and the diacritics that on each side evidence differences, are elevated to the status of cultural heritage. This instrumentalization of significant references helps create an ambience and sets up a landscape that fascinates visitors interested in living the experience of being at a frontier where (presumably) different cultures are counterposed. The present article discusses these processes of heritagization and analyses emerging cross-border cooperation in Alcoutim and Sanlúcar de Guadiana, two riverside towns of the Bajo Guadiana. © 2017, Centro em Rede de Investigacao em Antropologia. All rights reserved.