Abstract

This article proposes a new interpretation of the urban landscape and cultural heritage in Lota, the most emblematic mining town of Chile, taking as reference the places where the collective memory lies because they express cultural values that give meaning to everyday life. This perspective was built with a participatory methodology, based on dialogues with the community, which allowed us to discover the meanings that the landscape and heritage have for the inhabitants of Lota due to their relationship with the sense of belonging. The places of memory concern the public spaces of Lota, where day after day expressions of a way of community life strongly rooted in mining history are reproduced; they are places that shelter traditional urban rites and their cultural character is reinforced by the presence of heritage elements. On the other hand, the most characteristic urban landscape of Lota due to the prominence of industrial facilities is also socially valued as the basis of identity and collective memory. However, despite its importance, some components of the mining landscape have been altered by actions related to the urban and social transformations that affect the city since the closure of the coal mines in 1997. The changes generated by the process of industrial reconversion have been combined with subsequent initiatives aimed at protecting the mining heritage.