{"id":15194,"date":"2022-05-30T11:46:05","date_gmt":"2022-05-30T15:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/discoverjuanfernandez.com\/?page_id=15194"},"modified":"2022-12-14T16:57:50","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T19:57:50","slug":"nuestra-historia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/discoverjuanfernandez.com\/eng\/nuestra-historia\/","title":{"rendered":"OUR HISTORY"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Juan Fern\u00e1ndez & Desventuradas Islands<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
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OUR HISTORY<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Discovered in 1574, these islands were visited by corsairs and pirates, serving as a prison for Chilean independence patriots in the 19th Century, and were the settings of one of the most famous novels of our time.<\/p>\n

Today they are home to a population of over 1000 people, who live mainly from lobster fishing and tourism, and are consecrated as a model of sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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1574<\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>
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Discovery<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t
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In 1574 the Spanish explorer and sailor Juan Fern\u00e1ndez was searching for the quickest route between the Peruvian port of El Callao and Penco in Chile. By deviating towards the west of the cost he managed to avoid the Humboldt current that would have slowed down the journey towards the south of the continent, and here he discovered the uninhabited islands of Juan Fern\u00e1ndez and Desventuradas.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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1616 a 1749<\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Pirates and corsairs<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t
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During the 17th Century and the first half of the 18th Century, the Juan Fern\u00e1ndez Islands were sporadically occupied by Dutch, English and French sailors, pirates and corsairs who, in the midst of their raids ravaging the seas and coasts of America, would reach this point on the Pacific to stock up, take refuge or replenish the strength of their crews, decimated by hunger and diseases such as scurvy.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div>

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1719<\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>
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Robinson Crusoe, the novel<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t
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The island of Robinson Crusoe is known worldwide thanks to Daniel Defoe\u2019s novel. Published in 1719, it is based on the true story of a Scottish sailor, Alexander Selkirk, who, after being abandoned on the uninhabited island, spent four years and four months living entirely alone before being rescued in 1709.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\t

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1750<\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>
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The foundation of San Juan Bautista<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t
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By order of the Spanish Crown, aiming to populate and defend Juan Fern\u00e1ndez, in 1750 the first population arrives on the island of Robinson Crusoe, then known as M\u00e1s a Tierra (Closer to Land), made up of 171 settlers, men and women, under the command of Governor Juan Navarro de Santaella.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t

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Among these were two priests, a surgeon, an engineer in charge of drawing the map of the island, and 22 convicts assigned to fortify the bay, as well as livestock and weapons. This is how the construction of the Santa Barbara fort and the town of San Juan Bautista began.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div>

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1814<\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>
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Exile of patriots<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t
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During the war of independence after the Battle of Rancagua that marked the start of the Spanish Reconquest of Chilean territory in 1814, around 300 patriots accused of leading the revolution were exiled to the Juan Fern\u00e1ndez Island in precarious conditions and confined to the caves dug over Cumberland Bay, which would later be declared a National Monument in 1979. The reestablishment of the Republic after the battle of Chacabuco in 1817 put an end to the confinement of the patriots after spending 27 months in isolation.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\t

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1877<\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>
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Colonization of Alfred Von Rodt<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t
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Since its discovery, there have been a series of attempts at colonization by various nations, none of which were successful until the arrival of the Swiss citizen Alfred Von Rodt in 1877, who leased the islands that had made Robinson Crusoe famous, to the Chilean State, with the intention of creating a diverse and harmonious community with nature and developing trade.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t

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Descendent of a wealthy family from Bern, upon arrival on the island, then populated by 64 inhabitants, he ventured into the trade of wolf skins, logging for charcoal and installing the first lobster canning factory, companies which, although not achieving the expected success, allowed for the settlement of an island community that remains to this day, with the descendants of the first European settlers.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div>

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1895<\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>
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Declaration as a Chilean colony<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t
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In 1895 the Chilean Government issued a decree declaring the Juan Fern\u00e1ndez Islands a colony. One year later, the plan for a town in San Juan Bautista and the concession of sites for fishermen were approved.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\t

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1915<\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>
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The sinking of the Dresden<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t
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During the First World War, and after having remained hidden in the southern fjords of Chile following the German defeat in the Falkland Islands, the German battleship Dresden made landfall on the shores of Juan Fern\u00e1ndez to refuel and repair its damaged machines. The Chilean government, neutral in the war, allowed it to carry out these operations in 72 hours. However, before the deadline, on March 14th 1915, the ship was spotted by the English navy and the Dresden was attacked.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t

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Faced with imminent defeat, the captain, Emil Fritz L\u00fcdecke decided to sink her to prevent capture. The crew was evacuated and the wounded transferred to the mainland. The Dresden is currently 78 meters below sea level, 500 meters from the shore at Cumberland Bay.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div>

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1935<\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>
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Juan Fern\u00e1ndez Archipelago National Park<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t
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In 1935 the State of Chile created the Juan Fern\u00e1ndez Archipelago National Park, the second oldest in the country, comprising 9,571 hectares, establishing the protection of the Santa Clara and Alejandro Selkirk islands and most of Robinson Crusoe Island.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\n\t\n\t SEE NATIONAL PARK<\/span>\t<\/a>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\t

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1940 a 1960<\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>
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Independence of the Fishermen of Juan Fern\u00e1ndez<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t
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Towards the end of the 19th Century, the lobster fishing industry was in the hands of various companies on the continent. Due to the isolation and lack of supervision from Valparaiso, these groups had total control of the economy of the island, and had been abusing this power. The companies managed the delivery of goods, the general store, the boat and fishing equipment, leaving the islanders in a position of absolute dependence, without control of their exports or resources. This period of history is known as the \u201clos patronados\u201d in the chronology of Juan Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019 history.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t

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In the 1940s, tired of years of abuse and exploitation of both themselves and the sea, the fishermen decided to act. They built clandestine boats at night, working by torchlight, which would be independent and hidden from the companies. These independent boats allowed for the creation of the Juan Fern\u00e1ndez Fishermen\u2019s Cooperative in 1967, and with it, the eradication of extractivist companies.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div>

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1966<\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>
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Villagra Group<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t
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The Villagra Group was a group of islanders who organized themselves in response to territorial and political isolation from continental Chile. They built public works for the benefit of local development such as an aerodrome, roads, houses and drinking water infrastructure, inspired by the ideas of civil responsibility and progress. This group contributed significantly to the sociocultural, economic and political development of Juan Fern\u00e1ndez.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\t

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1977<\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>
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Biosphere Reserve<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t
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UNESCO declared the Archipelago a Biosphere Reserve, in order to promote the protection of the endemic flora and fauna of the island that was being threatened by the introduction of exotic species from the continent. Bi\u00f3sfera<\/span>, con el fin de promover la protecci\u00f3n a la flora y fauna end\u00e9mica del lugar, amenazada por la introducci\u00f3n de especies ex\u00f3ticas desde el continente.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\n\t\n\t SEE BIOSPHERE RESERVE<\/span>\t<\/a>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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2014 a 2018<\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>
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Protected Marine Areas<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t
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