MEMORIA, ESCOMBROS Y VACÍOS: UNA APROXIMACIÓN A LAS RUINAS DEL MERCADO MUNICIPAL DE TALCAHUANO POST 27F

Abstract

The history of Chile is greatly influenced by natural disasters. In particular, earthquakes and tsunamis have shaped our cities through a continual process of construction, destruction and reconstruction. As a result, the ideas of ruin and memory become a fundamental part of our cities. Taking the earthquake and tsunami events of February 27th 2010 as a starting point, this essay reflects upon its consequences, particularly in the city of Talcahuano. This rupture event brings to light the ruin as a relevant architectural component for the contemporary city. We explore then, how ruins are reintegrated into the urban fabric, focusing on the remains of the Talcahuano Municipal Market. In a country constantly forced by natural disasters to reinvent itself, how we accept and understand ruins, as a way to preserve important events in our collective history provides us with a relevant challenge from the perspective of architecture and urban memory.