Basque House in Araucanía-Chile: A Reflection from the Importation and Development of Its Regionalist Architecture

Abstract

The study of the Basque House, which was commissioned for construction by Basque-French settlers in the year 1930 in the town of Nehuentúe, Chile, allows us to delve into the value that the residential architectural heritage of Basque settlers brings to the rural area of the La Araucanía region, which was heavily populated by groups of European settlers since the second half of the 19th century. This house features a replica of the neo-Basque style from the French region of the Atlantic Pyrenees, from where rationalist architecture and symbolism in its forms and decorative elements were imported. On the facades of the Basque House in Nehuentúe, we observe a generous number of openings with square windows that are arranged under the asymmetry of the roof, geometric shapes that try to lighten the weight of this large compact volume. Simple construction bodies, organized according to the functionality of natural light and sun exposure of the rooms. Decorative elements that evoke the facades of the farmhouse stand out, overhangs and frameworks of red-garnet painted wood on white walls that transfer the popular origin of the Basque farmhouse structure to a bourgeois architecture that shows them as a decorative trend. This study delves into the history, place, and architecture of the house, comparing it to its origin, to understand how the settler, through architecture and symbols, felt closer to their roots. It is possible to delve into the history, observe the place, carry out a survey, classify and interpret a home, which, together with the analysis of its original architecture, allows it to be valued in a complete way so that it can be preserved. We can understand the territory of colonization through the deep analysis of its architecture. This knowledge of the past leads us to a learning process filled with symbolism, stories, and memory.