Heritage architecture in the region of Araucania in Chile

Abstract

At the end of XIX century, the indigenous region of Araucania in the south of Chile, a colonization process with nearly 10.000 German, French, Swiss and Spanish immigrants begins. These immigrants’ architecture is expressed with great diversity and heterogeneity. The immigrants and also Chilean people start to develop the cities’ neighborhoods and agriculture production in the country. They establish a new way to make cities, a new urban pattern in which the railway station has an important role. The immigrants’ houses in the city of Temuco are located in the German Avenue. In the city of Victoria, they express the Swiss immigration. In Carcahue, they built three-story-buildings. In Pitrufquen, the urban planning used an oval shape and in Capitan Pastene the Italian architecture in timber is featured. This look at the houses of immigrants in the region of Ararucania in Chile allows us to be aware of the presence of an architectural heritage of high value, with influence of different cultures and very different expressions, creating multiple and rich architectural settlements.

Key words: architectural heritage, South of Chile, wooden architecture.