The Pedro de Valdivia nitrates office has developed a management plan for heritage conservation and visitor safety

The anniversary of Pedro de Valdivia is officially celebrated on June 6^th; an event where former Pedrinos and Pedrinas, as people from the town are called, from different parts of the country travel to the Antofagasta region to reconnect with the charm of this former nitrates office, an emblem during the golden age of the nitrates industry.

Pampinos and Pampinas, the term for people from the greater area, have played an important role in this year’s celebration; they decorated various parts of the town in several ways, in preparation for the thousands of people who would take part in the celebration, reviving customs and the traditional lifestyle of the nitrates mines. Volunteers worked hard to get everything ready, including painting facades, among other tasks.

This volunteer work is part of a management plan that was co-created between SQM, the Municipality of María Elena and organizations linked to Pedro de Valdivia. The plan’s main objective is to protect heritage sites, effectively organizing service areas for the celebration, and detecting risks that can be minimized through prevention.

The initiative worked with an architectural consultant and was developed through various social events and on-site work with relevant stakeholders, community authorities and organizations, such as the Pedro de Valdivia Corporation and the Children of Pedro de Valdivia Center (Centro Hijos de Pedro de Valdivia).

The first stage of the management plan has already been carried out and will be evaluated during this weekend’s celebration. It includes installing 72 signs in various sectors, in addition to 10 caretakers who will be in charge of providing information and safeguarding the main heritage buildings. The project also includes distributing 5,000 leaflets with a map of the site identifying different areas and boundaries, such as parking areas, pedestrian access, emergency areas, and sectors for vendors, among others.

Carmen Zamora, president of the Children of Pedro de Valdivia Center, emphasized that “this plan has been very participatory and comprehensive. In addition to the support of SQM and the municipality, we received help from a committed volunteer group, made up of Pampinas and Pampinos who helped get the office ready for the celebration. Today everything is more orderly and well-marked in order to protect the visitors and the facilities themselves.”

She added, “It is important to build awareness of Pedro de Valdivia’s status as a national monument. We therefore invite them to respect and protect the different spaces, especially the historic center. The work carried out between private companies and the municipality this year has undoubtedly reflected greater dedication than in previous years, because all the actors involved in the plan are inspired to safeguard, care for, protect and preserve of our beloved Pedro de Valdivia.”

On the topic, Pablo Pisani, Director of Communities and Public Affairs for SQM’s Nitrate and Iodine businesses, explained: “Reviving heritage and enhancing places like Pedro de Valdivia are fundamental to our commitment to communities, where we redouble our efforts and work together with relevant stakeholders to safeguard and respect these sites. At SQM, we are heirs to the nitrates industry and the life of the Pampas. As such, we are proud to be present on this new anniversary through an initiative as important as this plan for protection, preservation and spatial planning, allowing thousands of people to celebrate the history of this office in a safer and more environmentally friendly way,” he said.

The mayor of María Elena, Omar Norambuena, highlighted the initiative, pointing out that “this plan is the result of a joint effort, demonstrating that through dialogue and good will, initiatives can be carried out that directly benefit the Pampinas connected to Pedro de Valdivia. It was a collaborative endeavor that included diverse views and actors, allowing us to safeguard our heritage and provide security to its visitors. It is important to emphasize that this plan will continue to be strengthened, as its scope reaches beyond the anniversary celebration itself.”

The project therefore has a second stage that, once the celebration is over, includes “a report with conclusions and the official delivery of the general plan, to be implemented at Pedro de Valdivia during the rest of the year,” explained the architect in charge, Ivan Barraza.

As in many other instances, SQM reinforces its commitment to safeguarding heritage and enhancing the value of this and numerous other places throughout the Norte Grande, prioritizing dialogue with communities and the testimony of those who brought these historic sites to life.

Virtual tour

A platform was developed within the initiative’s framework with a virtual tour of Pedro de Valdivia, a nitrates office located in the Antofagasta Region and built in 1931, and consolidated as one of the most important production centers of the golden age of nitrates. https://storage.net-fs.com/hosting/3986213/83/).