WOU Repository

The paved road to Caburgua was followed by the arrival of electricity and a water system. Later, cell phone towers were installed, along with public payphones. These utilities improved the daily lives of Caburgua residents in many ways.

As tourists began to frequent the lake, the farmers also found a market for their produce without taking it to Pucón. Local people developed a store, a restaurant, and a market. The beautiful artisan springs, Ojos de Caburgua, were popularized.

A real estate boom began as people from Temuco and other cities bought land and built summer cabins. Then the first "hosterias" and camp grounds appeared. Also, nationally-recognized Santiago families built summer homes by the lake. Caburgua was evolving into another southern resort community. Some historic residents participated in this change, but others sold their land and moved to urban areas.

As this essay shows, the process of development brings various health, communication, and social improvements that potentially enrich people’s lives. But this process can also encourage migration, create social barriers, and encourage cultural homogenization. It is important during rapid transformations for both individuals and communities to retain their historical identity. The goal of the Caburgua Visual Archive is to remember those who colonized Caburgua and built the foundations of this unique community in Chile’s southern Lake District.

Image Descriptions (Left to Right)

Lake Caburgua is surrounded by mountains on all but the south side, where the largest beach is located. Often the lake has no waves. On the mountain crests the original native forests are still preserved.

Optimistic about a demand for land to build cabins in Caburgua, a developer built a hillside road, but a recession froze development.

Barbed wire is less labor-intensive than solid wood fences. Most new residents prefer barbed wire. Residents expected neighbors to cross the wood fences. This is not the case with barbed wire.

Werner Bratz was the first to offer summer accomodations on the shore of Lake Caburgua. Irene and Lorenzo stayed in one of his cabins in 1976. Landhaus preferred to locate near the Christo. Since then, the entire valley and lakeside of Caburgua has gained bed and breakfasts as well as family cabins.