Colonizing the central valley and the coastal border? The case of the Imperial department, in the region of Araucania (Chile) and the environmental adaptation of settlers, from 1866 to 1920

Abstract

The migration studies of the region of Araucanía have not sufficiently considered the environment in their accounts. Through a review of historical documents, the influence of the environment on immigration in the imperial department of Araucanía, in the late XIX century and the early XX century, has been studied. The results suggest that there were two cases of immigration in the region. On the coastal border, the environment imposed itself, generally, on the settlers; while, in the intermediate depression, the inhabitants seemed to adapt themselves, in the best way, to their natural environment.