| 09:00 | Visit Fuerte Bulnes In 1843, Fuerte Bulnes, a small military garrison, was established on the northern shore of the Magellan Strait. It was later moved to a new location and renamed Punta Arenas in 1848. The current Fort Bulnes is a reconstruction of the first Chilean settlement in the area, an initiative by President Manuel Bulnes, who ordered the occupation of the Strait of Magellan—a goal linked to the birth of the Republic. The Spanish Empire had previously attempted to secure the area through various efforts, including the construction of the original fort on September 21, 1843, to assert Chile’s claim over the Strait. “Fuerte Bulnes” is considered “the first permanent settlement in the Patagonian wilderness, the initial outpost of national colonization, and to the south.” The fort existed for nearly a decade. Despite its strategic advantages in territorial control, its location’s climate and geography hindered agricultural development. As a result, in 1848, most of the fort’s population relocated 52 kilometers north, to the banks of a river known as “del carbón” (now Rio de las Minas), in Punta Arenas, which is today the historic capital of Patagonia. By 1952, the fort was abandoned, falling into ruins and fading into obscurity. However, in the 1920s, its remains were rediscovered, sparking the idea of reconstructing it. This reconstruction took place between 1941 and 1943 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its founding. Almost three centuries earlier, in 1584, a Spanish expedition led by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa founded “Ciudad Rey Don Felipe” (or “Puerto del Hambre”) just a few meters from “Fuerte Bulnes.” This mission ultimately failed mainly due to food shortages. |
| 12:00 | Visit Puerto del Hambre In March 1584, Sarmiento established the Spanish settlement of Rey Don Felipe with about 300 settlers. Conditions were tough, the local vegetation was limited, and the settlers either starved or froze to death. When the next English sailor, Thomas Cavendish, arrived at the site in 1587, he found the settlement’s ruins and a few survivors whom he refused to help. He took six cannons from the settlement and renamed the area “Port Famine.” In the 19th century, it was developed into a naval base used by the British Royal Navy. The name was later translated into Spanish as Puerto Hambre or Puerto del Hambre, and these names are still used. The Royal Navy hydrographic survey ship HMS Beagle, commanded by Captain Pringle Stokes, was exploring Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego when Stokes fell into a deep depression. At Port Famine in August 1828, he locked himself in his cabin and shot himself. He was buried in the Cementerio inglés (English cemetery). His grave remains marked on nautical charts. Command of HMS Beagle was then given to Flag Lieutenant Robert FitzRoy. FitzRoy became the captain for the second survey expedition and took the young naturalist Charles Darwin along as a companion between 1832 and 1834. Puerto del Hambre was an early Spanish settlement along the Strait of Magellan, and Fuerte Bulnes helped establish Chilean authority over the area. |
| 14:00 | Lunch |
| 15:30 | Following Lorenza Böttner’s early childhood with seminar fellow Ariel Florencia Richards |
| 16:30 | Punta Arenas Architecture tour with Paula Maynard |
| 18:00 | Visit to Cielos del Infinito Cielos del Infinito is the world’s southernmost arts festival. Since 2008, it has been hosted simultaneously in Puerto Williams, Porvenir, Puerto Edén, Puerto Natales, San Gregorio, Cerro Castillo, Cerro Sombrero, and Punta Arenas, creating meaningful experiences that foster encounter, critical thinking, and reflection through the presentation of theater, circus, dance, public art, and audiovisual works. Talk with Antonio Altamirano |
| 19:00 | Dinner |