PORVENIR
The capital city of the Land of Fire was founded by people from Mimice, near Omiš, in 1883.[1] They named it Porvenir, which means future. This was in the early days of colonization and gold exploitation, and over time its citizens turned to raising livestock. Despite the harsh living conditions in the area, there was no lack of interest for its culture. It was here that Antonio Radonic Scarpa, at the end of 1918, laid the foundations of Chilean cinematography.[2] There are but 5,000 people living in Porvenir today. Croatians gather in the Croatian society, the local cemetery is full of Croatian family names, and they even have they own Croatian street, Calle Croacia.
Aside from Croatian street, there are also streets named after Croatians; Calle Antonio Kusanovic, Calle Dr. Carlos Mimica, Calle Francisco Milic, Calle Juan Kovacic Pavicic, Calle Jorge Jasic, Calle Miguel Kuvacic, Calle Pablo Kalazic, and Calle Simon Paravic. The Monument to the Immigrant was erected in Porvenir, and it applies for all immigrants (shown below).
Monument to the Croatian immigrant
Croatians are quite numerous here, so they have their own Monument to the Croatian Immigrant, which is simple in shape, and dominates the area near the coast. An amphitheater was built around it, and a large column with marble plates from Brač lies in its center.
Selk’nam Monument. From the left: Vanja Pavlovec from Croatian Heritage Foundation Rijeka, Goran Borčić from Civic Museum Split and Branka Bezić Filipović from Croatian Heritage Foundation Split. Richard Yasic Israel, the author of the monument is on the right photo.
One of the plates has the lyrics to the song Immigrant, by Desenka Vukasović de Draksler (1935 - 2011), chiseled into it. She was born in Punta Arenas, and lived and passed away in Cerro Sombrero.[3]
I WILL NO LONGER THINK OF YOU AS AN ADVENTURER
TO ME YOU WILL BE A MAN
WHO CAME FROM FAR AWAY ONE DAY
WITH A SONG ON HIS LIPS AND AN ILLUSION IN HIS BREAST
D. VUKASOVIC
The second plate had a dedication written by Mateo Martinić Beroš (1931) from Punta Arenas, historian, member of the Chilean History Academy, founder of the Institute of Patagonia, university professor, emeritus, and former prefect.[4] He is one of the most prolific writers of Croatian origin in Chile, and most of his work was focused on the history of southern Chile.
BLESSED IS THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO CAME ONE DAY
AND STAYED IN THE CHILEAN LAND
AND WITH US, FOREVER
M. MARTINIĆ
The Chilean national crest is displayed on the monument, with the following below it:
IN MEMORY OF THE CROATIAN IMMIGRANTS WHO, OVER A CENTURY AGO,
STARTED A NEW LIFE IN THE SOUTH CHILEAN LAND
THEIR GRATEFUL DESCENDATS IN THE LAND OF FIRE
PORVENIR, DECEMBER 1990
There is a port outside of Porvenir, in Bahia Chilota bay. There is a street there called Avenida Gobernador Carlos Serka Vera, after the governor from Sumartin.
Bahia Chilota, where ferries on the Punta Arenas – Porvenir route land.
There are also localities on the Chilean side of the Land of Fire named after Croatians. They include, for example, Chorillo Mateo stream, so called in honor of Mateo Draguisevic, and Chorillo Paravic stream, which was renamed in honor of Simon Paravić, which lies in Cordon Baquedano, where the Paravićs looked for gold.
Mina Lausic mine, in the Land of Fire, at the beginning of the 20th century.
There is also Caleta Kovacic bay. Three localities are named after Mateo Martinić Beroš, a lake, an island, and a hill; Lago Mateo Martinić, Isla Martinic, and Cerro Martinic.
Mateo Martinić Beroš
Lake Mateo Martinic is located in the south-west of the Land of fire on Darwin Cordillera, which is almost always covered in ice.
The view of Darwin Cordillera from the Beagle Canal
Martinic Island is located in the Murray Canal, between the Navarino and Hosta islands, south of the Land of Fire. The canal is under the control of the Chilean navy.
Martinic hill is located in the area of the southern Patagonian iceberg, in the Andes, between Chile and Argentina. A part of that ice field belongs to the Bernardo O’Higgins and Torres del Paine national parks (shown below).
[1] de Cabo Arriado, Ernersto Fernandez. 2004. Magallanes desde el ayer. La Prensa Austral. Punta Arenas. Pg. 121.
[2] Beroš, Mateo Martinić. 2002. Breve historia de Magallanes. La Prensa Austral. Punta Arenas. Pg. 100.
[3] Bezić Filipović, Branka. 2006. Da se ne zaborave – o piscima s Jadranske obale u prekomorskim zemljama. Croatian Heritage Foundation. Split.
[4] See 9.