With permanent openings for the community on the last weekend of each month, the Connecting with Our Heritage Program of Codelco El Teniente Division has already attracted 4,800 visitors to Casa 100, the Central Population and its facilities, such as the Electrical Museum, the Palitroque and the School of Goldsmiths, in the foothills of Coya.

Residents from different communes in the region and the country have toured the facilities, responding to the invitation of División El Teniente and the Sewell Foundation to learn about the history of mining in Chile and the lives of the first families who settled in the area.

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

The architect and acting director of the Sewell Foundation, Simón Mckay, said that “El Teniente houses several sites of great heritage value at a national level, and it is essential that we promote and exhibit them. This is part of our mission as a Foundation and also of Codelco.”

The "Connecting with Our Heritage" program aims to preserve, promote 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.

Nadia Álvarez Canales traveled from the port of San Antonio and was amazed by the architecture. “Coming to this place at my age is a wonderful gift. I was amazed by the furniture, the kitchen. Everything is so well maintained. I am living history here.”

For Alberto Morales Castillo, it was “a very nice surprise. I had never seen a house like this, old, so tidy and with the elements that were installed when it was built.”

“This beautiful place makes me nostalgic. It makes me remember how they must have lived
almost a century ago. In addition, they welcomed us very kindly,” added Isolina Acuña.

According to the Coya Historical Archive, the construction of House 100 was approved by the Braden Copper Company on April 22, 1930 to be the residence of the company's top executives who were looking for a more pleasant climate than that of Sewell in the foothills to settle with their families.