Origen de los Espacios Públicos en Valparaíso: el discurso higienista y las condiciones ambientales en el siglo XIX

Abstract

The public spaces in Valparaíso are a result of a gradual taming of the natural environment, giving rise to habitability towards the end of the 16th century, freshwater reserves and the exploitation of vegetation for firewood, thus determining the adaptation of the landscape during at least two centuries. The growth in population and activity demanded greater quantities of resources (water and energy), obliging the displacement and posterior degradation of the surrounding natural areas. This abandonment, associated with the well - documented unhealthy conditions such as plagues of parasites in the latter part of the 18th and the recurring epidemics of the middle of the 19th century, seriously deteriorated the environment.