The historic centre of São Luís (Maranhão), a city in the north-east of Brazil, is the setting for this proposed article. São Luís is known for its vast area of centuries-old mansions, which are landmarks of the Portuguese colonization process and are now listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Since 2017, I have been conducting anthropological research with security guards at the mansion, exploring their experiences of hauntings in the city, with the aim of understanding the impact of ghost stories on the everyday dynamics of these employees. The research investigated the relationship between security guards in cultural spaces and apparitions, commonly known as 'visages'. It is important to note that visages can be perceived through auditory or physical sensations, and not just visually. They can manifest in various forms such as sounds (voices, whispers, noises), actions (moving doors, windows, objects), or physical contact with people. This article proposal aims to analyses the meanings attributed to the materiality of the manor houses in São Luís. It explores how physical structures, such as arches, stones, wells, and small monuments in museums, are associated with visages and what they communicate or extrapolate in terms of the heritage narrative. This text explores the relationship between the materials and analytical dimensions of heritage as presented by invisible subjects in official heritage discourses. Using a ghost ethnography approach, the field research data is analyzed with theoretical reflections that focus on the social life of intangible beings and their expressions in everyday contexts.