Heritage sites, Archaeological discoveries, History of Archaeology

Churches of Chiloe

Location

Dalcahue

Country

Chile

Year of Research

2000

Culture

The Churches of Chiloé is a one and only example in Latin America of an outstanding form of religious wooden architecture.

They represent a tradition initiated by the Jesuit Peripatetic Mission in the 17th and 18th centuries, continued and enriched by the Franciscans during the 19th century and still popular today.

These churches embody the intangible richness of the Chiloé Archipelago, and hold evidence to a successful combination of ethnic and European culture, the whole integration of its architecture in the landscape and environment, as well as to the spiritual values of the communities.

The churches of Chiloé are best examples of the successful fusion of European and indigenous cultural traditions to produce a unique form of wooden architecture.

The mestizo culture resulting from Jesuit missionary activities in the 17th and 18th centuries has survived intact in the Chiloé archipelago, and achieves its highest expression in the excellent wooden churches.