COLONIZATION, STATE AND VIOLENCE IN THE CHILEAN PATAGONIA, MAGALLANES C. 1880-1910

In this article we analyze the levels of interpersonal violence in the Magallanes Colonization Territory between the 1880s and 1910s, through the evolution of the homicide rate. Today, it is widely accepted that homicide rates are a good indicator of personal security and are a key indicator of wellbeing. The period covered by this research is of great economic, demographic and social transformation within the Colonization Territory which coexist with a weak institutional framework that was not capable of exercising the monopoly of violence. Our results demonstrate that levels of interpersonal violence in Magallanes far exceeded those of the rest of the country during the studied period. On the other hand, there was an increase in the homicide rate in rural settings, despite the convergence in global terms.