The co-evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes in the near
  Universe
  A fundamental role is attributed to supermassive black holes (SMBH), and the
feedback they generate, in the evolution of galaxies. But theoretical models
trying to reproduce the relation between the SMBH mass and stellar velocity
dispersion of the galaxy bulge make broad assumptions about the physical
processes involved. These assumptions are needed due to the scarcity of
observational constraints on the relevant physical processes which occur when
the SMBH is being fed via mass accretion in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). In
search for these constraints, our group -- AGN Integral Field Spectroscopy
(AGNIFS) -- has been mapping the gas kinematics as well as the stellar
population properties of the inner few hundred parsecs of a sample of nearby
AGN hosts. In this contribution, I report results obtained so far which show
gas inflows along nuclear spirals and compact disks in the inner tens to
hundreds of pc in nearby AGN hosts which seem to be the sources of fuel to the
AGN. As the inflow rates are much larger than the AGN accretion rate, the
excess gas must be depleted via formation of new stars in the bulge. Indeed, in
many cases, we find ~100 pc circumnuclear rings of recent star formation (ages
~ 10 - 500 Myr) that can be interpreted as a signature of co-evolution of the
host galaxy and its AGN.
