DAY 58 (1 OF 3) – ISLA AUCAR, COLO, TENAUN, SAN JUAN, CHILOE, CHILE

On our last day at Chiloe, we hired a local guide to take us to visit three more UNESCO churches along the east coast of the island. Before the churches, we stopped by Isla Aucar, a small island off the coast of a fishing village. On Isla Aucar, we found a small botanical garden, a wooden church and a cemetery. To us, the footbridge leading to Isla Aucar was a beautiful structure. At low tide, many clams and mussels are exposed on the beach, revealing a healthy coastal ecosystem. The only drawback of the otherwise perfectly serene seaside scenery was the mussel factory at the other end of the bridge, where we could see smoke rising in the air.
The three UNESCO churches that we visited subsequently at Colo, Tenaun and San Juan present a number of architectural features unique to Chiloe. Similar to other aspects of the Chilote culture, Chilote churches combine European influences with local materials and craftsmanship. Mastered in wooden boat construction, the Chilote people built many of their churches with a wooden barrel vault ceiling, just like a boat placed upside down. Vivid and contrasting colours were often used, sometimes for the interior like the Colo Church, and sometimes for both the exterior and the interior like the Tenaun Church. Blue was often used, which to us might present a strong tie with the local maritime culture. Our guide suggested that perhaps the use of vivid colours was intended to counter the dark and grey winters of Chiloe, providing a sense of delight in the cold and wet days. Unfortunately we couldn’t find the person who held the keys for San Juan Church. We could only appreciate it from outside.
Wooden bridge, Isla Aucar, Chiloe (2 pictures above)Exposed mussels at low tide, Isla Aucar, Chiloe (1 picture above)
Church of Colo, Chiloe (4 pictures above)Church of Tenaun, Chiloe (3 pictures above)Church of San Juan (1 picture above)