Geographical knowledge of inner Patagonia and the configuration of Torres del Paine as a natural heritage to be preserved
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/estgeogr.0456Keywords:
knowledge, territory, perception, geographical, tourism, exploration, contribution, conservationism, Paine, PatagonianAbstract
Torres del Paine National Park (12th Region, Chile), the Paine Massif and its surroundings are a major milestone concerning three issues: the perception of nature in the Patagonian-Andean environment, the first steps of conservationism in South America and the first scientific studies in this part of the planet. In addition, ever since scientists and travelers were to “discover” this region, Paine has been a benchmark of both the first proposals for nature tourism linked with conservationism, as well as a major challenge for alpine expeditions.
Due to these circumstances, the doctoral dissertation of the author devotes one entire chapter to analysing the main contributions of the Paine phenomenon to the geographical knowledge of inland Patagonia and to the perception of Torres del Paine as a natural heritage worth preserving. This is precisely the subject of this paper, which gives an insight into the geographical reconnaissance explorations that took place between 1877 and 1896 in the Patagonian inland, under the initiatives of Chilean and Argentinean governments; the first known touristic travel in the Chilean region of Magallanes; the role of the first “visionaries” of Patagonian-Andean tourism in Chile, gathered around Werner Gromsch and the Touring Club; or the geographical, scientific and informative work carried out by Alberto Maria De Agostini. Finally, the article discusses the first alpine expeditions which targeted the summits of the Paine Massif.
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