Project

At least 150 wooden churches once stood on the Chiloé archipelago, a group of islands off the coast of central Chile. After the country was colonized by the Spain in the 16th century, Christian missionaries arrived to evangelize the local Huilliches and Chonos populations. (...)

At least 150 wooden churches once stood on the Chiloé archipelago, a group of islands off the coast of central Chile. After the country was colonized by the Spain in the 16th century, Christian missionaries arrived to evangelize the local Huilliches and Chonos populations. The Jesuits moved from place to place on Chiloé Island, the largest on the archipelago, and established a new chapel about once a year between 1608 and 1767. The churches were situated along the coast to guide sailors around the contours of the island, and the 60 that remain today still perform this function.

All were constructed with wood—even the fasteners and other typically metal components—most likely because it was abundant in the region. The indigenous peoples and Jesuits labored together to build the chapels, which exhibit a combination of Spanish and local motifs as a result. Mountains to the north shelter the churches but they are still pelted with rain and rocked by earthquakes. Three hundred years after construction and without communities to care for many of them, the Chiloé churches were deteriorating.