PATAGONIA: WATER AND BUILT HABITAT

Water as a scarce resource has become a growing environmental global problem. Today, warnings about the risks of climate change, loss of wetlands and pollution are multiplying. The supplying is becoming critical, something unthinkable in the past, taking into account that drinking water should not be denied to anyone because it is a vital substance for survival. However, it is estimated that over 600 million people lack access to safe drinking water (source: WHO). Many people have their right to water increasingly restricted and thus, their right to life, triggering thereby unthinkable levels of cruel injustice and social inequality. Because they are essential, water and air, are the resources that require our utmost attention put into action.
Tourists visiting the mountainous area of northern Patagonia are surprised by the crystal blue lakes surrounded by natural forests. The beauty of the natural landscape is complemented by the vernacular architecture characterized by its use of local materials and the reduced environmental impact. This architecture was developed in the late nineteenth century, after the genocidal military campaign that displaced indigenous. The Indians built their shelters with branches and animal skins, as awnings, that they armed and disarmed in its long journey through the territory, looking for food. Except for some Mapuche “ruca” (or shack), there were no permanent buildings. The imposition of Western culture meant the replacement of the indigenous nomadism by colonies of immigrants and the granting of large tracts of land to foreign companies to establish stations for raising sheeps to produce wool, leather and meat.
The work presented here is part of the results of research projects carried out on a stretch of the mountainous area of northern Patagonia between parallels 40 and 42 south latitude. Large lakes, including Nahuel Huapi in Argentina, and Lake Llanquihue, in Chile, excel from the many watersheds in the area. Deep valleys, carved by ancient glaciers, facilitate crossing the mountain range with heights of around 400 m while the highest peaks are around 3,800 meters. For the settlers, the construction of the human habitat implied the use of the materials that the floor provided them, as wood, earth and stone, in addition to the management and control of water in times when these resources were considered inexhaustible. […]