As part of the plan to open its assets to communities near its operations, 29,340 people participated this year in guided tours of Casa 100, Población Central, and the Sewell mining camp. These initiatives are part of the program, “Connecting with our heritage” promoted by the El Teniente Division, in collaboration with the Sewell Foundation.

In the last twelve months, 19,581 people came to Sewell, including social organizations, educational institutions, and Codelco workers and collaborators. Of this number, more than half were community representatives, with a total of 13,240 people. Meanwhile, 5,086 students toured the place that is known as the cradle of the Great Copper Mining in Chile.

Simon Mackay, architect and acting director of the Sewell Foundation, said that “this is a milestone in terms of visits for us. This work in collaboration with El Teniente allows us, on the one hand, to disseminate and highlight our mining heritage, and on the other, to give El Teniente the opportunity to show these community heritage assets. It is a way of recognising and valuing the people and communities linked to the mine, fostering a sense of pride in our mining identity.”

Visits to the 100th House

In addition, during this year, monthly openings of the historic Casa 100 were held during the last weekend of each month, allowing 9,759 people to participate in free tours. Along with guided tours of the house, declared a typical area in 2017, visits were organized around the Central Population or American Camp and its facilities, such as the Electric Museum, the Palitroque and the Goldsmiths School.

Cristián Sanhueza, Community Development Director of El Teniente, explained that “this opening is in line with our development strategy, which seeks not only the preservation of historical assets, but also their openness and free access to communities. By promoting visits we encourage local tourism, support small entrepreneurs in the sector and promote education and culture in our region.”

The "Connecting with Our Heritage" program aims to preserve, disseminate and enhance the heritage sites of our region, such as Sewell, House 100 and the Central Town of Coya, which was declared a Typical Zone and which reflect the architecture of the Central South of the United States at the beginning of the 20th century.