📋 Tender Overview
The great week of Chileanness in the region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica culminated with a commemorative act in honor of the 23 pioneers who consolidated possession of the southern territory in the name of the State of Chile on September 21, 1843. Starting at 11:30 a.m., and with temperatures close to 0 degrees, the highest civil-military authorities of the region gathered at the monument that honors this feat, to remember this act and commemorate 181 years of the historic feat that allowed the annexation of Magallanes to the national territory.
The event began with an allegorical representation in which Navy Petty Officer César Valenzuela represented the arrival of Commander John Williams and his crew aboard the Schooner "Ancud" to Punta Santa Ana.
In his speech, Jorge Flies Añón, Governor of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region, stressed the role of the Navy in this feat: “It is the first among the great milestones of our history. This symbol closes this significant chapter of our identity. This list of men, women and a child reflects the vision of the father of the country and the effective execution of President Bulnes. The professionalism of Williams and its crew is also a reason for recognition.”
The representative of the group “Hijos de Chiloé”, Faustino Aguilar, expressed about the legacy of the crew of the mythical schooner: “They boarded and carried out the act of taking possession of the Strait of Magellan, with the most lethal weapon: the Chilean flag. This date is very important, the most significant for our region: September 21, when the history of Chile begins here in Magallanes.”
The mayor of Punta Arenas, Claudio Radonich, highlighted the scope of this feat and how it projects the southern territory into the future: “We have had this event relegated to the history books. Today Chile is an Antarctic country thanks to these people. This gesture that the world sees looking south also draws attention to Antarctica. Let us not only think about the present, but about the future.”
The Commander in Chief of the Third Naval Zone, Rear Admiral Jorge Castillo Fuentes, pointed out that the effort of the sailors who participated in the construction and navigation of the Schooner "Ancud" is the same that guided the current crews. "This will and commitment allows us to exercise effective sovereignty from our naval bases and port captaincies in the Chilean Antarctic territory."
