Miner's Housing Outside the Company-Town in Lota, Chile: A Type of State Industrial Paternalism?

Abstract

The mining industry of the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century was the triggering force for the development of a vast industrial heritage in Chile. Some examples of ‘company towns’ have been designated as such, with international, national or local significance. Conversely, both planners and public officials have largely ignored other examples of historical miner’s housing built outside the industrial enclaves. Moreover, much of this mining legacy has almost disappeared under several layers of unguided change. The main goal of this study was to analyze the potential of identifying within this legacy a distinct type of industrial paternalism. We chose as case study IG; a coal miners’ housing complex built in the city of Lota, at the south of Chile. We studied the similarities and differences between this neighborhood and the model of industrial paternalism, both in terms of its original morphological features and way of life. We used both documentary and onsite methods of research, and conducted interviews to current inhabitants. The results demonstrate that in many respects Isidora Goyenechea responds to the industrial paternalistic model. However, a distinct feature derives from the state’s involvement in its development. In this respect Isidora Goyenechea reflects an ideological shift from worker’s housing conceived as a piece of the productive chain, to housing as a means for social regeneration.