Founding of Punta Arenas

Background. Prior to Chilean settlement, Spain had attempted to establish settlements along the coast of the Strait of Magellan to protect shipping and prevent piracy by English pirates. In 1843, the Chilean government sent an expedition to build a fort and establish a permanent settlement on the shores of the Strait, setting the stage for the later formal founding.

Establishment. The Chilean government originally established Punta Arenas in 1848 as a small penal colony to assert sovereignty over the Strait of Magellan. The settlement was located on the Brunswick Peninsula, north of the Strait, serving as a base for defending Chile's sovereignty claims in the southernmost part of South America.

Relocation. In 1848, military governor José de los Santos Mardones decided to move the settlement to its current location along the Las Minas river. He renamed the settlement Punta Arenas, which was historically known as Sandy Point in English. The city later underwent name changes in 1927 and 1938.