.....fascinating and full of unusual features, to some has the appeal for its “crazy geography” in words of Benjamin Subercaseaux , and for others, brave ancient people, served as the sea highway linking the settlements of the South American continent. This immense continental shelf, a corridor-like space with walls of Cordillera of Andes and Pacific Ocean, with the blue sky above, is the Chilean treasure and has to be protected under the existing and future laws preventing its harming and destruction, and furthermore securing its prosperous and perpetual existence for the benefit of future generations.
Development of the Austral Route, the coastal Chilean seaway passage is a necessity. For millenniums people of Austral- Asian origin, using wooden boats and rafts and animal skin kayaks, traveled with the help of the sea currents along continental Antarctica to the coast of South America. Once on a firm ground in Patagonia, they would continue further north with the help of Humboldt current to the central Andean coast. Whenever they were ready to return to their homes, they sailed along the Sub-equatorial current back to Asia, visiting Pacific islands on the way. The latest archeological, genetic and idiomatic research into similarities of peoples and cultures present on the opposite shores of Pacific seem to confirm the existence of the South Pacific Passage; the recent environmental and climatic studies are providing us with additional supporting evidence. The ancient people who first crossed the Pacific , at the end of the last Glacial period about 20,000 year ago, lived and populated Chilean coast, and then followed it in northern direction to Central Peru, where more than 4600 years ago the cities and pyramids of Caral-Supe were built. In Chile, the importance of Monte Verde, the earliest settlement in Americas, or mommies of Chinchorro culture, the oldest in the world, demonstrated possibilities of discovery of even richer sites and artifacts on the coast (or below existing water level) of the highest ranking in the human history.
Unfortunately, many important objects and material heritage documenting this history, have been destroyed or have not been preserved; ports and settlement, the stations of the journey, which harbored and sheltered human beings on the move along the Coast were destroyed, and/or not enough was done to identify and preserve early settlements and their unique rock shelter type and wood beam covered with reeds roof features of the early coastal architecture, much of which disappeared naturally or was destroyed during the development of the coastal cities and ports. In marginalization and disappearance of the original costal inhabitants (ex. Los Changos) up to the southern Patagonia people (Onas, Yaganes, etc.) we have lost the opportunity to learn about their origin, history, culture, and truth about the South Pacific Passage – we were left with the void which will take generations to close.
At present, under auspices of governmental programs and institutions exists only a “lip service” tendency to preserve and protect the national heritage; meanwhile, dynamic growth of existing costal centers and creation of new settlements and industrial centers is destroying or endangering preservation of these important sites. The chosen coastal cities and villages (of importance to the Austral Route) should support a system of “tourist shelters” to harbor and help visitors traveling along the coast between Puerto Williams and Arica by boat or using other more efficient mode of transportation. Costal “hill towns” such as Quintero, Pichidangui or Tongoy, many sharing important common spatial and topographical features, should be protected with the minimum “zona tipica” status to prevent the further destruction of historic heritage.
For the Ancient ones, Pacific was an equivalent of the Mediterranean Sea – they were crossing it with courage back and forth carrying the trade and living on many continental coasts, and discovered their route to South America many thousands of years before Columbus. We need to honor and protect their contribution for the benefit of all Humanity.
