Landscapes and Urbanism of Colonial Chile

Landscapes and Urbanization of Colonial Chile

The compendium known as Landscapes and Urbanization of Colonial Chile offers a glimpse into the exciting development of this land at the westernmost edge of the South American continent around the middle of the 18th century. Three maps present the diversity of the landscapes, cities, and architecture of Chile, which was undergoing several restructurings in the middle of the 18th century. A 1754 map presents the newly built inland city of Concepción de Chile after a devastating earthquake. Another shows a plan of the city Serena de Coquimbo in 1743 with its spectacular new fortifications. The third sheet of this historical compendium presents a marvelous view of the Convent of the Discalced Carmelite Order from San Rafael de Santiago de Chile amidst the gorgeous Chilean countryside from 1773. Thus, three of the most important events for the development of Spanish Chile are contained in historical documents!

An Undervalued Spanish Colony

Chile, this long drawn out, but very narrow Andean country on the west coast of South America, has an unbelievably long Pacific coastline. The land was discovered by Europeans at the end of the 15th century – the historical discovery of America by Columbus also brought about the exploration and urbanization of the entire continent. Due to its physical separation from the rest of South America, Chile was less valued than other Spanish regions of the New World. A settlement was first established in Chile in 1541. Since 1542, Chile was a part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, and became its own Captaincy of Chile in 1778, an autonomous entity within the Spanish Empire.

Three Historically Valuable Views

The three maps of the historic compendium from the Archivo General de Indias, with the dimensions of 75 x 54 cm, 59 x 51 cm, and 40 x 23 cm, encompass three areas of development in Chile in the 18th century, between the years 1743–1773 to be more precise. One focuses on architecture, another naturally focuses on the urbanization of the countryside through new construction and expansion of settlements and cities. Thus two detailed plans of cities with a city map that visualizes the road system and city walls are to be found, in addition to a gorgeous watercolor page with a depiction of specific buildings amid the Chilean landscape.

A Cloister and Two New Cities

The last document is a view of the Convent of the Discalced Carmelite Order of San Rafael de Santiago de Chile from 1773. It is concerned with a view of a convent, which was consecrated in 1773, from the west, specifically from the tower of its founder, Don Luis Manuel de Zañartu. The watercolor shows the church and double cloister in the vast, flat plains of the Chilean landscape with hills and mountains in the background. Moreover, the compendium includes a map from 1752 with the plan for the new city of Concepción de Chile. Concepción is city founded in 1555 that was continuously destroyed by successive earthquakes over the years. The city was finally moved inland in 1754, in the Valle de Rosas. The third document is concerned with a plan of the city of Serena de Coquimbo from 1743. The city coat of arms and a large explanatory panel on the right margin adorn the map. Serena was founded in 1544, the city fortifications were newly invested in the 1730’s/ Today, the city is the most important center of tourism in the country.