Safeguarding artisanal raw materials in south-central Chile: an ecosystemic analysis of aggressive and protective factors

Authors

Keywords:

Ecosystems, handicrafts raw materials, aggressive factors, protective factors.

Abstract

We examine the complex relationship between raw materials, ecosystems, and artisanal practices in the regions of Ñuble, Biobío, Araucanía, and Los Ríos in south-central Chile. The central premise guiding this analysis is that craftsmanship, far from being a manifestation of technical skill or a material cultural product, constitutes an interconnected and dynamic socio-ecological system in which the continuity and viability of traditional crafts depend on a balance between forces that promote their preservation (protective factors) and those that threaten their existence (aggressive factors). This complexity creates tensions in the different types of economies based on the use of raw materials, from small-scale or low-scale artisanal production to mining or forestry extraction of tons of material per minute which puts at risk the reproduction of the material and immaterial heritage linked to these sociocultural expressions. Artisans have historically made their products by extracting resources provided by various ecosystems and transforming them into a wide variety of objects. However, a series of climatic and anthropogenic factors have put certain crafts at risk, given the scarcity and availability of raw materials for craft production. Hence the need to devise a policy or continue working on measures that promote a safeguarding strategy, whether based on the recommendations of UNESCO or on Chilean national policies.

Author Biographies

Rodrigo Contreras Molina, University of La Frontera (UFRO)

Applied Anthropologist, Master in Social Anthropology, and Audiovisual Producer with expertise in methodologies for citizen participation, organizational strengthening, community work and local and territorial development, education, intercultural health, and environmental health. Director of Audiovisual Identities. He teaches at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and is a member of the faculty of the Sociology program at the University of La Frontera in Chile. He is in charge of the Audiovisual Documentation Unit and the Anthropology Research Area of ​​the Department of Social Sciences at the same university. He has worked in public administration and in the development of proposals, project design, and strategic territorial planning, both in the health and education sectors, primarily for rural communities. In recent years, he has focused extensively on heritage and handicrafts with Indigenous peoples and rural communities in Chile.

Leslye Palacios Novoa, Catholic University of Temuco (UCT)

A designer with a Master's degree in Industrial Design from the European Institute of Design in Milan, she has dedicated nearly two decades to the field of handicrafts, formulating and implementing initiatives that address the sector's needs related to the preservation, circulation, and promotion of these products. She has completed internships at leading institutions in the international handicrafts sector, such as Artesanías de Colombia S.A. (2006) and Fundesarte (2010). From 2011 to 2018, she served on the Advisory Committee for the Handicrafts Area of ​​the then-National Council for Culture and the Arts, and was part of the technical and political committee in charge of the National Handicrafts Policy 2017-2022. From 2022 to 2025, she was the Executive Director of the Handicrafts of Chile Foundation and also served on the Regional Board of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO-LA) for Latin America. Since 2009, he has directed the Crafts Program of the Faculty of Architecture, Arts and Design of the Catholic University of Temuco, a position in which he has led curatorial projects such as “Dreams of the Rütrafe: Mapuche silver ornaments”, an international tour that traveled through countries in Latin America, Europe and Asia, as well as the direction of craft fairs such as “Secrets of Araucanía: Handicrafts par excellence”, whose sixth edition was held in 2025.

References

Alba, Pascual (20 de enero de 2018). Entrevista. Parque Oncol, Valdivia.

Aranda, Surnai (2009). La artesanía latinoamericana como factor de desarrollo económico, social y cultura: la artesanía a la luz de los nuevos conceptos de cultura y desarrollo. Cultura y desarrollo, 6, 3-19.

Armesto, Juan; Lobos, León; y Arroyo, Kalin (1996). Los bosques templados del sur de Chile y Argentina: una isla biogeográfica. Universidad de Chile.

Camus, Pablo; Solari, María Eugenia (2008). La invención de la selva austral: Bosques y tierras despejadas en la cuenca del río Valdivia (siglos XVI-XIX). Revista de geografía Norte Grande, (40), 5-22. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-34022008000200001

CASEN (2020). Encuesta de Caracterización Socioeconómica Nacional. Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Familia.

Contreras, Rodrigo; Palacios, Leslye (2023) Artesanías y Materias primas. Factores agresores y protectores en los ecosistemas de las regiones de Ñuble, Biobío, La Araucanía y Los Ríos. Fondo de Desarrollo Cultural y las Artes. FONDART. https://www.artesaniasymateriasprimas.cl

Cruz, Mariana; López, Citlalli; Neyra, Lucila (2009). Artesanías y Medio Ambiente. Fondo Nacional para el Fomento de las Artesanías.

Donoso, Claudio; Lara, Antonio (1999). Silvicultura de los bosques nativos de Chile. Editorial Universitaria.

INFOR (2016). Sumando valor ecológico al patrimonio artesanal tradicional: recolección sustentable de tallos de la enredadera Pil-Pil Voqui en la Región de los Ríos. Fundación para la Innovación Agraria. Ministerio de Agricultura.

INFOR (2018). Diagnóstico para la restauración del chupón y la visibilización de su valor ecológico, patrimonial y económico asociado a la tradición mapuche de elaboración de Pilwa en la comuna de Saavedra. Fundación para la Innovación Agraria. Ministerio de Agricultura.

Lara, Antonio; Solari, María Eugenia; Prieto, María del Rosario; Peña, María Paz (2012). Reconstrucción de la cobertura de la vegetación y uso del suelo hacia 1550 y sus cambios a 2007 en la ecorregión de los bosques valdivianos lluviosos de Chile (35º - 43º 30´ S). Revista Bosque 33(1), 13-23.

Menéndez, Eduardo (2008). Epidemiología sociocultural: propuestas y posibilidades. Región y sociedad Vol XX (2), 1.

Muñoz-Pedreros Andrés y Navarro, Ximena (1992). Uso histórico de la vida silvestre en la zona

de Carahue-Pto. Saavedra, sur de Chile. En María Hernández (Ed.), Carahue la Nueva Imperial Ecologia y sus recursos, (p. 130). DAEM. Municipalidad de Carahue.

Otero, Luis (2006). La Huella del fuego. Historia de los bosques nativos. Poblamientos y cambios en el paisaje del sur de Chile. Editorial Pehuén.

Palacios, Leslye; Contreras, Rodrigo (2017). Ornamentos corporales de los pueblos indígenas en Chile. Un estudio de vigencia. Fondo de Desarrollo Cultural y las Artes. FONDART.

Palma, Juana; Mekis, Catalina; Schlegel, Bastienne (2016). Recolección de tallos de Pil-Pil Voqui para cestería. Relato de una tradición originaria del pueblo lafkenche de Alepue. Instituto Forestal (INFOR) – Fundación para la Innovación Agraria (FIA).

Palma, Juana; Schlegel, Bastienne (2016). Manual de Recolección Sustentable de Tallos de Pil-Pil Voqui. Instituto Forestal (INFOR) - Fundación para la Innovación Agraria (FIA).

Reyes, René; Nelson, Harry; Zerriffi, Hisham (2017). Leña: causa o consecuencia. Factores subyacentes de la producción de leña en el sur de Chile. Informes Bosques Energía Sociedad BES. Número 07. Año 3 DIC. 2017. INFOR.

Tsing, Anna (2005). Friction. An ethnography of global connections. Princeton University Press.

Seguel, Alfredo (2014, septiembre). Especial sobre “modelo forestal chileno”: Lucro y decadencia social ambiental. OLCA Observatorio Latinoamericano de Conflictos Ambientales. https://olca.cl/articulo/nota.php?id=10477

Legislación citada

Ley 21.488. Modifica el Código Penal y el Código Procesal Penal, para Tipificar el Delito de Sustracción de Madera y Otros Relacionados, y Habilitar el Uso de Técnicas Especiales de Investigación para su Persecución (2022). (Ministerio del Interior y Seguridad Pública). https://bcn.cl/35wpd

Decreto 43. Declara Monumento Natural a la Araucaria Araucana (1990). (Ministerio de Agricultura). https://bcn.cl/2m2h0

Decreto ley 701. Fija Régimen Legal de los Terrenos Forestales o Preferentemente Aptos para la Forestación, y Establece Normas de Fomento Sobre la Materia (1974). (Ministerio de Agricultura). https://bcn.cl/27n2x

Ley 20.283. Ley Sobre Recuperación del Bosque Nativo y Fomento Forestal (2008). (Ministerio de Agricultura). https://bcn.cl/2f284

Ley 21.100. Prohíbe la Entrega de Bolsas Plásticas de Comercio en todo el Territorio Nacional (2018). (Ministerio del Medio Ambiente). https://bcn.cl/2ep08

SIGPA. Artesanos de Püll Püll Foki de Alepue. http://www.sigpa.cl/ficha-colectivo/artesanos-de-pull-pull-foki-de-Alepue

SIGPA. Expediente de investigación de la técnica de la cuelcha o trenzado con fibra de trigo dentro de la tradición artesanal de la zona rural y campesina en el secano del Valle del Río Itata, con especial énfasis en la comuna de Treguaco. https://www.sigpa.cl/media/upload/docs/2017-03-22_Informe.pdf

SIGPA. Artesanos Cuelcha del Itata http://www.sigpa.cl/ficha-elemento/tecnica-de-la-cuelcha-o-trenzado-en-fibra-de-trigo-en-el-secano-interior-del-valle-del-rio-itata

Downloads

Published

2026-01-31

How to Cite

Contreras Molina, R., & Palacios Novoa, L. (2026). Safeguarding artisanal raw materials in south-central Chile: an ecosystemic analysis of aggressive and protective factors. Memorias Disidentes. Revista De Estudios críticos Del Patrimonio, Archivos Y Memorias, 3(5), 31–55. Retrieved from https://ojs.unsj.edu.ar/index.php/Mdis/article/view/1437

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 5 (2026): Handicrafts. Sensitive art from the margins

Section

Sección Académica

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Rodrigo Contreras Molina, Leslye Palacios Novoa

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

  • ícono licencia by-nc-sa


  • The authors retain the rights of autxr and assign to the journal the right to first publication of the work, registered under the Creative Commons attribution license, which allows third parties to use what is published as long as they mention the authorship of the work and the first publication in this journal.

  • Authors may make other independent and additional contractual agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the article published in this journal (for example, including it in an institutional repository) as long as they clearly indicate that the work was first published in this journal.

  • The authors grant any third party the right to share and use the article (for non-commercial purposes), provided that the original authors and the citation of the version published in this journal are identified.