Abstract

This article investigates the representations that underlie cartography and representations of a frontier territory such as La Chimba, Santiago, between the 17th and 21th centuries. These representations are examined and analyzed by three means of applied cartography: a) historical maps of the city of Santiago; b) geo-referencing techniques provided by contemporary geographical mapping; and c) cognitive maps from the area's inhabitants both immigrants and Chileans created to portray their own territory and habitat. By examining the portrayals as described in three voices, we are able to create a dialogue among three methodologies for spatial representation in order to adequately understand this frontier territory, while, at the same time, achieving comprehension of the genesis of an inhabited urban area, of its social hierarchies and processes of racial mixing.