Fluvial imaginaries: Border, heterotopia, and marginality in the transformation of the Mapocho River

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of the fluvial imaginaries of the Mapocho River in Santiago, Chile, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It analyses how the Mapocho River has evolved from a mere watercourse into a cultural border and a heterotopia, influenced by discourses of power and resistance concerning the river. Through an exploration of official and marginal perspectives in works such as La Transformación de Santiago by Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna and the novel El Río by Alfredo Gómez Morel, this study reveals how the Mapocho River has been a space that challenges established norms and values while providing refuge and defiance for those excluded by society. Using the conceptual frameworks of Gloria Anzaldúa and Michel Foucault, it examines the notions of frontier and heterotopia, as also how the Mapocho River acts as a liminal space between norm and anomaly. The Mapocho is not merely a geographical element but a living testament to the city and its inhabitants' evolution over the years, reflecting the social, cultural, and urban changes that have shaped Santiago's identity.