Chiloe Archipelago Archipiélago de Chiloé (Spanish) | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Countryside in the outskirts of the city ofCastro | |
 Map of the Chiloé Archipelago | |
| Country |  Chile |
| Region |  Los Lagos |
| Province | Chiloé |
| Capital city | Castro |
| Area | |
• Total | 9,181 km2 (3,545 sq mi) |
| (1.21% of Chile) | |
| Population (2012) | |
• Total | 167,659 |
| • Density | 18/km2 (47/sq mi) |
| • Percent | 0.91% of Chile |
| Common religion | Catholicism |
| Common languages | Chilote Spanish,Chilean Spanish |
| Demonym | Chilote(es: Chilote) |
TheChiloé Archipelago (Spanish:Archipiélago de Chiloé,pronounced[tʃiloˈe],locally[ʃiloˈe]) is a group of islands lying off the coast ofChile, in theLos Lagos Region. It is separated from mainland Chile by theChacao Channel in the north, theSea of Chiloé in the east and theGulf of Corcovado in the southeast. All islands except theDesertores Islands formChiloé Province. The main island isChiloé Island. Of roughly rectangular shape, the southwestern half of this island is a wilderness of contiguous forests, wetlands and, in some places,mountains. The landscape of the northeastern sectors of Chiloé Island and the islands to the east is dominated by rolling hills, with a mosaic of pastures, forests and cultivated fields.
The archipelago is known within Chile for its distinctive folklore,mythology,potatoes,cuisine and uniquearchitecture. The culture of Chiloé is the result of mixing ofHuilliche,Spanish andChono influences in centuries of isolation without much contact with the rest of Chile or the Western World. Its cool temperate climate, abundance of sea resources andlarge and lush forests have also played a major role in shaping life in the islands.
Incolonial times, Chiloé was an important bulwark in thedefence against Dutch and British incursions to Chile and Patagonia. The archipelago was the last Spanish possession in Chile, successfully repelling patriot invasionsuntil 1826. In the 19th century, the archipelago was a starting point for the Chilean colonisation ofPatagonia. Not only were major expeditions assembled in Chiloé, but thousands of Chilotes migrated to the sparsely populated mainland to work insheep-raisingestancias, asrailway navvies, or to become independent settlers. Belief in witchcraft has been common in the archipelago, reaching such influence that in 1880 Chilean authorities put on trialwarlocks said to rule the archipelago through asecret society.[1]
Once considered an isolated and backward part of Chile, today the archipelago retains its rural character despite increased connectivity and the growth of cities such asAncud,Castro andQuellón. Since the 1990s,salmon aquaculture andtourism have been important sources of revenue in the archipelago, complementing traditional activities such asfishing andsmall scale agriculture.
TheChiloé Province (Spanish:Provincia de Chiloé) includes all of the Chiloé Archipelago, except theDesertores Islands, plus theGuafo Island, for a total land area of approximately 9,181 square kilometres (3,545 square miles). The administrative center of the province is the city ofCastro, while the episcopal see of theRoman Catholicbishopric isAncud. The province of Chiloé is part of theLos Lagos Region (Región de los Lagos), which primarily consists of the Chilean lakes region on the mainland north of Chiloé; the administrative center of the region isPuerto Montt.
Chiloé Island is by far the largest island in the archipelago, at 8,394 square kilometres (3,241 square miles). It is roughly rectangular, with its long axis oriented from north to south. To the east of Chiloé Island lies theSea of Chiloé, which contains most of the other islands in the archipelago. The Sea of Chiloé is amarginal sea separating Chiloé Island fromPalena Province (also called Continental Chiloé). The main islands in the Sea of Chiloé areQuinchao,Lemuy,Tranqui, andDesertores Islands. To the northeast and southeast of the archipelago lie theGulf of Ancud and theGulf of Corcovado; the former is part of the Sea of Chiloé. Some 40 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of Chiloé Island liesGuafo Island, the southernmost island of the archipelago.
Chiloé Island is separated from the Chilean mainland by the 2-kilometre-wide (1.2-mile)Chacao Channel in the north. Most of the good harbors are located on the island's northern and eastern shores. The eastern shore is marked by a series of peninsulas and inlets, notablyEstero de Castro where the capital, Castro, is located. The western part of Chiloé Island, as well as the whole of Guafo Island, is hilly and covered by forests. The hills are subdivided into two north–south ranges,Piuchén andPirulil, separated by the lakesCucao and Huillinco. They contain the highest points in the archipelago and do not exceed 800 metres (2,600 feet). Depressions in the western forest are occupied by numerous small lakes and bogs scattered across the landscape.
A bridge to the mainland is planned for the archipelago, despite opposition from some residents who fearpollution andhabitat destruction.[2] TheChacao Channel bridge would replace the ferry that connects the village of Chacao,Ancud Comuna, on Route 5 at the northern end of Chiloé Island, across theChacao Channel with the village ofPargua,Calbuco Comuna, on the mainland.[3]
The archipelago's original vegetation isValdivian temperate rainforest, a forest with a very denseunderstory and a large diversity of plant species, including manymosses andferns. The western and southern portions of the island are still largely covered by the native forest. Notable species include arrayán (Luma apiculata), coihue (Nothofagus dombeyi), quila (Chusquea quila),Chilean rhubarb, and the avellano (Gevuina avellana).Fitzroya cupressoides and tepú (Tepualia stipularis) grow in thepoorly drained soils of the Piuchén and Pirulil ranges. Before the end of theLlanquihue glaciation, the southern parts of Chiloé Island constituted open landscapes. This changed around 12,500 years ago when the climate became warmer and forests colonized the region.[4] The upper portions ofCordillera del Piuchén, locally known asla Campaña, have aMagellanic moorland vegetation.[5][6]
The arrival of agriculture in pre-Hispanic times was the origin of the patchy landscape of pastures and farms that now dominates the eastern and northern coast of Chiloé Island. Some native plants likeGevuina avellana andFascicularia bicolor have edible seeds, and others like theChilean rhubarb have edible stems. The most notable edible plant native to Chiloé is thepotato (Solanum tuberosum), which contrary to the Andean potatoes ofPeru andBolivia is adapted to the long-day conditions prevalent in the higher latitudes of southern Chile.Hundreds of varieties of this potato have been cultivated by local indigenous peoples since before theSpanish conquest, and historical and molecular evidence suggests that it is the progenitor of the world's most widely cultivated variety of potato,S. tuberosum tuberosum.[7]
The native fauna includes many birds, a few subspecies of which areendemic to the archipelago. Among land mammals, the largest areDarwin's fox (named as such becauseCharles Darwin was the first to collect a specimen, onIsla San Pedro,Chiloé) and thepudú, a small deer. Marine mammals includeCommerson's dolphins andSouth American sea lions, which form colonies at rock outcrops close to the sea. Several species of whale have been sighted around the island, notablyblue whales (see alsoAlfaguara project) and critically endangeredsouthern right whales.[8]
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The Chiloé Archipelago may have been populated as early as 12,000 to 11,800BC, according to archaeological discoveries inMonte Verde,[9] located less than 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of the main island. Chiloé's first ethnically identifiable inhabitants are believed to be theChonos, a seafaring nomadic people.[10] This has led to the assumption that Chonos were the people who left behind most of the abundantshell middens (chonchales) of the Chiloé Archipelago, yet this claim is unverified.[11]
There are various placenames in the Chiloé Archipelago withChono etymologies, despite the main indigenous language of the archipelago at thearrival of the Spanish beingHuilliche.[12] A theory postulated by chroniclerJosé Pérez García holds that theCuncos settled inChiloé Island inPre-Hispanic times as consequence of a push from more northernHuilliches, who in turn were being displaced byMapuches.[13][14] Cuncos, Huilliches and Mapuches all belong to the wider Mapuche macro-ethnicity.
The Cuncos, who were a coastal people, arrived from the mainland north of Chiloé and settled on the eastern shore of the Isla Grande, practicing horticulture and fishing.[15][10] Some accounts mention the northern half of the Chiloé Island as Cunco territory.[13][14]
It can be said that Chiloé was a contact zone between the Mapuche (Araucanian) world and the southern tribes.[16]
The main island was first discovered by Spaniards in 1553 by Francisco de Ulloa.[17] In 1567, the island was conquered forSpain by CaptainMartín Ruiz de Gamboa, who was at the head of an expedition of 110 Spaniards.[17] Gamboa named the islandsNueva Galicia (NewGalicia) in honor of the place of origin ofRodrigo de Quiroga who as governor had organized the expedition.[17] Gamboa established a settlement at Castro in 1567,[17] which later became the seat of aJesuit mission and was capital of the province until the founding of Ancud in 1768.
In early colonial times, the Spanish introduced a number of Old World crops and agricultural systems. Some of these cultivars and systems ended with poor results, yet the introduction ofpigs andapple trees proved a success. Pigs benefited from abundantshellfish andalgae exposed by the largetides.Wheat came to be grown in lesser quantities compared to thenative potatoes, given the adverse climate.[18]
During the first years of the colony, the spiritual labour was carried out byMercedarians andFranciscans. The first Jesuits arrived in 1608[19] and founded in 1612 the first church inCastro. Because of the scattered population living in different islands, the Jesuits established acircular mission system with numerouschapels and churches.[19] The priests of the circular mission travelled from September to May to the scattered missions usingdalcas.[20] The Jesuits established acollegium in 1660 in Castro.[19] By 1767, when theSociety of Jesus was suppressed, there were 13 Jesuitmissioners[19] and 79 chapels. From 1771 onwards, theFranciscans took over the functions of the Jesuits in Chiloé.
As result of acorsair and pirate menace, Spanish authorities ordered to depopulate theGuaitecas Archipelago south of Chiloé, to deprive enemies of any eventual support from native populations.[12] This was in line with the ideas of GovernorAntonio Narciso de Santa María, who thought the Spanish should concentrate efforts in defending Chiloé Island.[21] Depopulation of Guaitecas Archipelago meant the indigenousChono population settled in the Chiloé Archipelago, where they became gradually assimilated.[12]
Ancud was made capital of the Chiloé in 1767. In 1784, Chiloé Island was made a direct dependency of the colonialviceroyalty of Peru as a consequence of theBourbon reforms, while continental Chile was a captaincy-general within the viceroyalty. The change of capital and shift to dependency corresponded to a new strategic view of the Chiloé Archipelago. While initially Chiloé was viewed by Spaniards as a colony rich enough to conquer, it later became a problematic region due to its geographical isolation from mainland Chile and theWar of Arauco in the mainland. Chiloé Island was largely exempt from the turmoil that affected the Chilean mainland due to conflicts with Huilliches and Mapuches, but was notably affected in 1712 by a largeHuilliche rebellion.[22]
During colonial times, Chiloé served as base for a series of explorations towards the interior of Patagonia as well as to its channels. TheJesuitNicolás Mascardi crossed the Andes through theVuriloche Pass and set up a mission on the shores ofNahuel Huapi Lake in 1670. The Jesuits established in Chiloé broughtChonos from islands south of Chiloé to settle in the archipelago, which led to acculturation with the Spanish-Huilliche of the island.
Unlike thecentral region of Chile where a long war of independence resumed after a Spanish reoccupation, Chiloé never joined thePatria Vieja (Old Republic), and rather than conspiring to overthrow the local Spanish administration, its population gave Spain wide support. From 1812 on, men from Chiloé would be enlisted as soldiers and sent to fight in Chile, Bolivia and Peru for the royalist cause. In December 1817, the island became the last stronghold of Spanish royalists (together withValdivia) fleeing from the Chilean mainland. A Chilean expedition led byThomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald disembarked 60 men under command ofWilliam Miller but failed to conquer it after the small but disastrousBattle of Agüi. Another unsuccessful conquest attempt occurred in 1824, whenJorge Beauchef, who had disembarked in Chiloé Island, was ambushed at theBattle of Mocopulli. Only on 15 January 1826 did the Royalist forces ofAntonio de Quintanilla negotiate a surrender to a new military expedition led byRamon Freire, and the island was fully incorporated into the independent Republic of Chile, although Spain did not recognize Chile until 1844.
The last Spanish military governors were:
Charles Darwin arrived in Chiloé on 28 June 1834 and was based there for six months, writing about his impressions of southern Chile in hisdiaries.[23] The archipelago had been an old royalist stronghold, and its inhabitants were known during the 19th century for complaining about not having a king. Darwin wrote of Chiloé in 1834: "The Indians ended all their complaints by saying, 'And it is only because we are poor Indians, and know nothing; but it was not so when we had a King.'"
As Chiloé had been a defensive stronghold during colonial times, the Republic of Chile used Chiloé as a starting point for its territorial expansion into the southern territories. The expedition to theStraits of Magellan, that foundedFuerte Bulnes in 1843, was assembled in Chiloé. In the 1850s, Chiloé was again instrumental in the logistical support of the colonization of theLlanquihue Lake, where German settlers were given land. The last major portion of Patagonia to be incorporated into Chile,Aysén was also explored and settled from Chiloé. In the colonization process of Patagonia, Chilotes immigrants constituted a large part of the work force of the livestock enterprises that were established in Patagonia between 1890 and 1950.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, thousands of Chilotes migrated to the mainland, taking up work asrailwaynavvies in southern Chile or in husbandry operations owned by Chileans in Argentine Patagonia.[24] Some Chiloes also established themselves as independent settlers, as was the case of many inValle Manso,Río Negro Territory.[24]
During the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Chiloé lost economic and political importance toPuerto Montt on the mainland, so that by 1863 Puerto Montt was made capital of its own province, and, in 1927, the Chiloé Archipelago was incorporated into a new province headed by Puerto Montt.
The cathedral in Ancud was destroyed and Castro was badly damaged by theGreat Chilean earthquake of 1960, the most powerful ever recorded.[25] In 1982, the provincial capital, after over 20 years, was returned to Castro.
Since the 1980s, the economy of Chiloé has become increasingly dependent on large-scale commercial fishing ventures,aquaculture (salmon farming in particular), and, more recently, tourism. The rapid industrialization of the region, triggered by Chile's adoption of aneoliberal economic model under the Pinochet dictatorship in the 1970s, has led to a major demographic shift of the island's population, from majority rural in the 1980s to more than 60% urban in 2012.[26]
In part because of its physical isolation from the rest of Chile, Chiloé has a special architecture and local culture. During the colonization ofPatagonia and southern Chile in the 19th century, cultural elements of Chiloé spread to that zone, as manychilotes migrated and settled there.
Chilotan architecture is a unique architectural style that is mainly restricted toChiloe Island and nearby areas. In part because of its physical isolation from the rest of Chile, and access to different materials, Chiloé has a special architecture that differs most greatly from the typicalSpanish colonial architecture. The Spanish who arrived in the 16th century, andJesuit missionaries who followed, constructed hundreds of smallwooden churches in an attempt to bringChristianity to a pagan land; the result was a mixing ofCatholicism and pagan beliefs. In addition, the use of flat wooden tiles as shingles (wood shingles) became a staple in its architecture. Sixteen of theseChurches of Chiloé still remain and have been designated UNESCOWorld Heritage Sites.[27]
Nearly all the houses and buildings in colonial Chiloe were built with wood, andwood shingles were extensively employed. Roof shingles ofFitzroya came to be used as money and calledReal de alerce. In the late 19th century, many palafitos (stilt houses) were built in cities likeCastro andChonchi.
Homes and hotels in the region also employ the use ofwood shingles, usually painted in bright, bold colors. Depending on the region, palafitos are another distinct architecture feature of Chiloé. These are traditional fisherman's houses built on wooden stilts.
Chilote is adialect ofSpanish language spoken in the Chiloé Archipelago. It has distinct differences from standard Chilean Spanish in accent, pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, especially influenced by theHuilliche variant ofMapudungun.
The cuisine of Chiloé has its origin in pre-Hispanic traditions among nativeChonos andHuilliches. Typical features of Chilote cuisine includeearth oven andasado barbecues. Chilote cuisine makes extensive use of fish,shellfish andpotatoes, of which there areplenty of varieties growing in the archipelago's different islands. Chiloé is acenter of diversity of potatoes and the origin of most of cultivated potatoes outside Andes, belonging to subspeciesSolanum tuberosum tuberosum. Lamb is considered the most appreciated meat and is eaten and prepared as anasado, especially around Christmas and New Year. Applechicha (cider) is a common alcoholic beverage. Other typical alcoholic beverages aremurtado andlicor de oro liqueurs.
Traditional cuisine includescuranto and pulmay.Curanto is a dish made fromfish,clams (almejas),ribbed mussels (cholgas),giant barnacles (picorocos), meats, andpotatoes of Chiloé wrapped in leaves and cooked in a hole in the ground by hot stones.[28] It can also be cooked in a pot over a bonfire, becoming pulmay.
Chiloé has a rich folklore, with many mythological animals and spirits such as theCaleuche, theTrauco, thePincoya and theInvunche. Chilota mythology is based on a mixture of indigenous religions, (theChonos andHuilliches), that live in the Archipelago of Chiloé, and the legends and superstitions brought by the SpanishConquistadores. In 1567, the process of conquest in Chiloé by the conquistadors brought forth the fusion of elements that would form a separate mythology. Chilota mythology flourished, isolated from other beliefs and myths in mainland Chile, due to the separation of the archipelago from the rest of the Spanish occupation in Chile, and theMapuches occupation or destruction of all the Spanish settlements between theBío-Bío River and theChacao channel following thedisaster of Curalaba in 1598.
According to Chilotan mythology, the origin of the archipelago lies in a fierce battle between two serpents,Ten Ten-Vilu (ten, "earth",vilu, "snake") andCoi Coi-Vilu (Co, "water",vilu, "snake").
The population of the province according to the 2002census was 154,775; of this, 44% lived in rural areas, according to theNational Statistics Institute (INE). Chiloé's people are known asChilotes.
The population descends mainly from the mixture of natives (Huilliches,Cuncos, Payos and Chonos) and the Spanish, with later contributions of Chileans from other regions and a few Europeans (e.g.,Germans andCroats). During the colonial era, Indian towns (Queilen, Chonchi, Tenaún), Spanish towns (Chacao and Quenac) and other mixed towns (Castro, Dalcahue, etc.) were all peresent.
Salmonaquaculture, tourism, agriculture and timber are the mainstays of the island economy. Some 1,400 salmon farms are spread among the islands.[29]
LAN Airlines constructed a small airport in November 2012, which opened Chiloé to more tourism than it had experienced. Before the airport opened in Castro, the only way to reach the islands was by ferry. Main cultural attractions include the islands' local culture, coastline, and clear waters. Some of the islands' churches areUNESCO World Heritage sites; however, not all of them are always accessible to the public.[30]
In order to overcome the cultural and organizational barriers that keep suppliers of living cultural heritage and tour operators apart, the Chiloé diocese of Ancud established a private foundation called "Fundación con Todos" (One for All Foundation). The foundation helps repair damaged churches on the islands and assists local residents in developing tourism.[31]
In cooperation with the EOMF and the Chiloé Model Forest, a cultural and natural heritage tour was organized to Argentina and Chile, including a three-day visit to Chiloé, permitting some of the Chilote households to host a group of cultural heritage tourists for the first time. The visits were successful and should be the first of more to come, helping establish the credibility of Chiloé's agrotourism network among other tour operators.Origenes Tour (25 October 2017)."Tourism in Chiloe".Origenes Tour. Retrieved21 October 2017.[dead link]
Chiloé is derived from theMapuche wordchillwe, meaning "seagull place".Chill orchülle refers to thebrown-hooded gull, and the -we suffix means 'place'. The adjective anddemonym for this region ischilote in the masculine andchilota in the feminine.
Many placenames across the archipelago haveChono etymologies, despiteVeliche being the main indigenous language at the Spanish arrival in the 16th century.[12][32]
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