EL PAISAJE CULTURAL EN CHILE

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The category of cultural landscapes, that highlights the natural and cultural heritage of Chile and its history, have an exceptional importance, since they contribute to foster the national pride for the cultural assets located throughout the peculiar Chilean geography, and propose a correspondence between society and environment, as well as a reciprocal interaction with the cultures that formalize and determine them in their transforming action.

Some of the cultural landscapes presented in this publication, arise together with other territorial and economic heritage, reached by Chile during the second half of the nineteenth century. In this period Chile was consolidated as a country, strengthened the expansion of the national state and set forth the boundaries and contents of its social and territorial structure.

In addition, it incorporated new human groups with their cultural traditions, while at the same time increasing the trade of commodities with the British and American economies.

Likewise, the cultural landscapes highlight other cosmovisions, cultures and ways of life of indigenous peoples who, according to their ancient traditions, are part of nature and its various ecosystems, immersed in interrelated territories which are part of an environment with its particular biological and cultural manifestations.

For the most part, these cultural landscapes evolve, as is the case of Cape Horn, Tierra del Fuego, Chiloe, the Mapuche people, the Central Valley, Santiago, Rapa Nui, Valparaiso and the Ruta de la Sierra. Meanwhile, the coal mining landscape in Lota, the copper company town in Sewell and the nitrate operations in northern Chile are relicts’ cultural landscapes, in which the progression of its main industrial function came to an end, with the exception of the María Elena company, the last of the nitrate cities.

Keywords: Evolutional and relict cultural landscapes, territorial and economic heritage, social and geographic consolidation, environments.