Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works

Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works
Riccardo Riva, http://www.viaggiarechepassione.it
Humberstone and Santa Laura works represent over 200 former saltpeter works where workers from Chile, Peru and Bolivia lived in company towns and forged a distinctive communal pampinos culture. That culture is manifest in their rich language, creativity, and solidarity, and, above all, in their pioneering struggle for social justice, which had a profound impact on social history.

Situated in the remote desert Pampa, one of the driest deserts on earth, thousands of pampinos lived and worked in this hostile environment, for over 60 years, from 1880, to process the largest deposit of saltpeter in the world, producing the fertilizer sodium nitrate that was to transform agricultural lands in North and South America, and in Europe, and produce great wealth for Chile.

Because of the vulnerability of the structures and because of the impact of a recent earthquake, the site was also placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, to help mobilize resources for its conservation.

Year Decision Comments
2005 Inscribed Reasons for inscription
2005In Danger

Reviews

Jarek Pokrzywnicki (Poland):
Visited the site in November 2006. Sunny and hot day so you could imagine how it is to wander throughout a desert whe the whole salitera is located. Site consist of 2 units: Humberstone ghost town with market square, church, theatre, swimming pool school and numer of houses (all restored) and Santa Laura factory (much more ruined, that's why it is listed on List in Danger) located some 2 km from the town) and numerous other object (railways, dumps, paths, ruins). Recommended for those who like factory architecture or want to see the life of workers in Chile some 50-100 years ago. But hurry up - the desert and winds deteriorate the condition of the site constantly.
Date posted: October 2008
Maria Pastora Sandoval Campos (Chile):
It was a wonderful experiencie go to the saltpeters works. I'm a journalist and I wrote about it. It was very incredible to see things I only hearded and see in photos.

Really amazing! I want to be tehe again! To keep learning about our history.

Here are my links about Saltpeters Works:

Saltpeter process in Santa Laura
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?article_class=3&no=223630&rel_no=1

Santa Laura Museum
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?article_class=5&no=223630&rel_no=2

Humberstone way of life
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?article_class=5&no=223630&rel_no=8

Photos (captions in Spanish)
http://mariepelouse.blogspot.com/2005_03_01_mariepelouse_archive.html

Post in my blog (in Spanish):
http://www.mariapastora.cl/2005/03/santa_laura_humberstone_la_tir.html
Date posted: April 2006


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