Los placeres auríferos de Nerquihue: Revalorización del paisaje cultural y fortalecimiento de la memoria territorial en la comuna de Lolol, región de O’Higgins.
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Date
2025
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Publisher
Universidad de Concepción
Abstract
La minería artesanal de lavaderos de oro en Nerquihue, comuna de Lolol, ha modelado por décadas la cuenca del estero El Guaico, pero hoy se encuentra en retroceso y casi sin registro formal. El objetivo del estudio es reconocer y caracterizar el geopatrimonio minero artesanal de Nerquihue para comprender la cuenca como paisaje cultural minero y aportar a la preservación de su memoria territorial. Se combinó revisión geohistórica de informes técnicos, georreferenciación de cartografía histórica, trabajo de campo con dron y SIG y un script en R para sistematizar fotografías, junto con entrevistas semiestructuradas analizadas mediante codificación abierta y procesamiento de texto en Python. Los resultados evidencian un sistema patrimonial denso, compuesto por lavaderos, desmontes, viviendas, obras hidráulicas y formaciones geológicas, articulado con saberes técnicos, toponimia y relatos sobre el Plan Aurífero y la minería artesanal y de pequeña escala. Al mismo tiempo, muestran un territorio envejecido, con transmisión intergeneracional debilitada y fuertes transformaciones del uso de suelo. El estudio concluye con lineamientos para el registro participativo de sitios y memorias y para la gestión comunitaria del paisaje minero como base para futuros inventarios de geopatrimonio en Lolol.
Artisanal gold mining in Nerquihue, in the municipality of Lolol (Chile), has shaped the El Guaico stream basin for decades, but is now in decline and without formal documentation. The aim of this study is to identify and characterize Nerquihue’s artisanal mining geoheritage to understand the basin as a mining cultural landscape and to contribute to the preservation of its territorial memory. A geohistorical review of technical reports and georeferenced historical cartography was combined with fieldwork using drones and GIS, plus an R script to systematize photographic records, together with semi-structured interviews analysed through open coding and text processing in Python. The results reveal a dense heritage system composed of placer gold washing sites, waste-rock dumps, dwellings, hydraulic works and geological formations, linked to technical knowledge, toponymy and stories about the National Auriferous Plan (Plan Aurífero Nacional) and artisanal and small-scale mining. At the same time, they show an ageing territory, with weakened intergenerational transmission and marked transformations in land use. The study concludes with guidelines for the participatory recording of sites and memories and for the community-based management of the mining landscape as a basis for future geoheritage inventories in Lolol.
Artisanal gold mining in Nerquihue, in the municipality of Lolol (Chile), has shaped the El Guaico stream basin for decades, but is now in decline and without formal documentation. The aim of this study is to identify and characterize Nerquihue’s artisanal mining geoheritage to understand the basin as a mining cultural landscape and to contribute to the preservation of its territorial memory. A geohistorical review of technical reports and georeferenced historical cartography was combined with fieldwork using drones and GIS, plus an R script to systematize photographic records, together with semi-structured interviews analysed through open coding and text processing in Python. The results reveal a dense heritage system composed of placer gold washing sites, waste-rock dumps, dwellings, hydraulic works and geological formations, linked to technical knowledge, toponymy and stories about the National Auriferous Plan (Plan Aurífero Nacional) and artisanal and small-scale mining. At the same time, they show an ageing territory, with weakened intergenerational transmission and marked transformations in land use. The study concludes with guidelines for the participatory recording of sites and memories and for the community-based management of the mining landscape as a basis for future geoheritage inventories in Lolol.
Description
Tesis presentada para optar al título de Geógrafo/a.
Keywords
Paisajes culturales, Monumentos naturales, Minas de oro