Cataloging the nation: explorations and the incorporation of North Patagonia into the Chilean National Ordering, 1856-1902

Between 1856 and 1902, agents of the Chilean state carried out the first exploration voyages into Chilean Northern Patagonia in a slow and disjointed attempt to survey these regions which were virtually unknown at the time and where the state had no effective presence. The corpus of explorations carried out during this period, in addition to works written in the capital that commented on these, make up a catalog of the people, land, water, flora, and fauna of North Patagonia at the time. This catalog evidences the relationship that explorers and their reports had to a process of national expansion towards this region during this period. At the same time, it can be seen as the first attempt to incorporate North Patagonia into the Chilean territorial ordering. Finally, this catalog evidences the relationship of science and the institutions of knowledge in Chile at the time to a project of national territorial consolidation. All in all, the catalog of explorations to North Patagonia resulted in the early incorporation of this region into the general idea of the Chilean nation.