Dark tourism at the end of the world. The case of the old cemetery in Puerto Natales, Southern Chilean Patagonia
Abstract
Puerto Natales is a small town located in Southern Chilean Patagonia and is considered the gateway to the internationally renowned “Torres del Paine National Park”, one of Chile's greatest adventure tourism attractions. The aim is to highlight the importance of the so-called Old Cemetery of Puerto Natales, "Cementerio Padre Alberto Hurtado," which is part of an Urban Historical Circuit.
Through dark tourism, the aim is to tell the story of this cemetery, which summarizes and reflects the evolution of this town, from its origins to the present day, through the most important events and people of its brief but rich history, its industrial origins, its conflicts and struggles, and its present-day presence in this remote and inhospitable area.
It also highlights the need for greater integration of the cemetery into the Urban Historical Circuit, creating an attractive and coherent narrative for potential visitors and tourists from around the world who may visit its facilities.
References
Bayer . O (2.013). La Patagonia rebelde. Edición Definitiva.Booket.
Boldrini G., Enriquece el alma una visita a este lugar. Un álbum fotográfico de los natalinos que ya no están y que fueron los pioneros. Recuperado el 15 de Octubre de 2.025 de https://segreader.emol.cl/2016/10/29/A/HB31I7F2/light?gt=095656
Cid Santos P. (2.004). Historia del movimiento obrero en última esperanza (1911-1973 ): sindicalistas, anarquistas y socialistas. Impresos Atelí. Punta Arenas
Cementerio San Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, recuperado el 15 de Octubre de 2.025 de https://cormunat.cl/index.php?cementerio=1
Catastro patrimonio funerario de Puerto Natales (2.025), Corporación de Turismo , Cultura y Patrimonio de la Comuna Puerto Natales.
La opinión Austral. A 74 años de la primera tragedia en la mina de YCRT que dejó seis trabajadores muertos, recuperado el 01de Diciembre de 2.025 de https://laopinionaustral.com.ar/rio-turbio/a-74-anos-de-la-primera-tragedia-en-la-mina-de-ycrt-que-dejo-seis-trabajadores-muertos-643900.html (consultado 13 de octubre de 2025)
Mercado, M. A., & Morales, V. H. (2019). Reconstruyendo las luchas obreras de la Patagonia mediante circuitos históricos-turísticos en la provincia de Santa Cruz (Argentina) y Puerto Natales (Chile). Journal of Tourism and Heritage Research, 2(4), 169-189.
Morales, VH, & González, MAM (2023). La Huelga Obrera de Puerto Natales de 1.919. Patagonia Austral Chilena. En Conflictos obreros de principios del siglo XX en la Patagonia Austral: trabajos y reflexiones a 100 años de las huelgas rurales de Santa Cruz. Argentina: Vela al viento. pp 103-114
Morales, V.H. y González, MAM. (2018). Ramal Ferro Industrial Río Turbio (RFIRT) de la explotación de carbón en Santa Cruz, Patagonia Argentina. Revista Internacional de Gestión Científica y Turismo .
Morales, V. H., González, M. A. M., & Tello, G. E. (2019). Architectural heritage of border cities neighbors in patagonia: the case of río turbio (Argentina) and Puerto Natales (Chile). Journal of Tourism and Heritage Research, 2(3), 381-407.
Ovejo Noticias. Crean ruta histórica al interior del cementerio Alberto Hurtado de Puerto Natales, recuperado el 15 Octubre de 2025 de https://www.ovejeronoticias.cl/2022/11/crean-ruta-historica-al-interior-del-cementerio-alberto-hurtado-de-puerto-natales/
Puerto Natales, cementerio municipal, algunos "británicos", recuperado el 15 Octubre de 2025 de https://patbrit.org/bil/cmy/pncmy.htm
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
1.The works published in this magazine are subject to the following terms: Tourism Research Association (the publisher) preserves the patrimonial rights (copyright) of the published works, and favors and allows the reuse of them under the license of use indicated in point 2.
© Investur, 2017
2.The works are published in the electronic edition of the magazine under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivative 3.0 Spain (legal text) license. They can be copied, used, disseminated, transmitted and publicly displayed, provided that: i) the authorship and the original source of their publication (journal, editorial and URL of the work) are cited; ii) are not used for commercial purposes; iii) the existence and specifications of this license are mentioned.
3. Self-file conditions. Authors are allowed and encouraged to disseminate electronically the pre-print versions (version before being evaluated) and / or post-print (version evaluated and accepted for publication) of their works before publication, since it favors their circulation and earlier dissemination and with it a possible increase in its citation and scope among the academic community.
