The seminar in Punta Arenas shed light on the historical arrival of Croats in Magallanes, their contribution to the development of the region and their lasting impact on local identity.
The public seminar, organized by the Association of Experts and Entrepreneurs of Croatian Descent, was held in the city of Punta Arenas, with the aim of highlighting the historical and social legacy of Croatian immigrants in the Magallanes region, in the far south of Chile.
Under the title Immigrants and First Settlers: Croatian Immigration in Magallanes in Its Beginnings, Challenges and Social Construction, the event opened the space for discussion on the contribution of Croatian immigrants to building the identity of the region. The information was published by the Circle of Experts and Entrepreneurs of Croatian Descent from Magallanes (El Círculo de Profesionales y Empresarios de Ascendencia Croata de Magallanes).
Croats arrived in this remote Chilean province, officially called Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, by ships from Dalmatia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, fleeing from poverty, grapevine diseases and later escaping from war events in Europe. Punta Arenas was, at the time, until the opening of the Panama Canal, an important port connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Today, there are about 167,000 inhabitants in the region, and the local Croatian community estimates that approximately 25,000 of them have Croatian roots.
“We wish to provide the community with information about the significance and relevance of Croatian immigrants in Magallanes. This is not just the story about our ancestors, it’s part of the identity of the region,” said historian Sergio Laušić.
He added that the aim of the seminar was to make the entire Magallanes community, not only the descendants of Croats, aware of the importance of this legacy and its lasting impact: “Our goal is for the entire Magallanes community, not just Croatian descendants, to understand the importance of this legacy and its impact to this day.”
At the seminar, held in the premises of the Croatian Club in the center of Punta Arenas, Professor Zafira Tobar Ivelich spoke about the contribution of Croatian women to the development of the region. Economist Marco Antonio Barticevic Sapunar analyzed the link between Croatian immigration and the development of political and civic awareness in Magallanes. Professor Ernesto Fernández de Cabo Arriado referred to the connection between Croatian and Spanish immigration, stressing that migration was crucial in shaping society in Magallanes.
Source and photo: HINA
