Topographies of memory in a landscape of resistance and transformation: the case of the former El Morro Fort of Talcahuano, Chile

Abstract

This article analyzes how the former El Morro Fort, a Site of Memory and Historical Monument located in the municipality of Talcahuano, in the Biobío Region, presents different historical layers of the territory over different historical periods, from its strategic military role during the colonial era and the dictatorship, to its use as a refuge for families affected by the 2010 tsunami, and its subsequent processes of monumentalization, heritage designation, and memorialization by the Corporación de Socorros Mutuos Bautista van Schouwen Vasey. The study, through an analysis of interviews and archives, examines how memory processes intertwine with the physical and emotional reconstruction of the territory and how the site displays different materialities of memory through architectural elements that function as living archives of their transformations and meanings, preserving narratives from different times. However, these narratives often emerge as counter-narratives that challenge dominant ways of understanding and giving meaning to the site. The article concludes that, despite its designation as a historical monument, the former El Morro Fort still faces challenges, primarily due to the meanings it evokes and the lack of funding and political will. This case demonstrates how heritage is re-signified and contested through its uses, which are tied to the attributes of heritage identified through the site´s political and historical memory, with the aid of the community, and the territory itself. It suggests that this site can be understood as difficult heritage, encapsulating not only the place's biography but also the stories of its protagonists.