Los conventillos de Valparaíso, 1880-1920: Percepción de barrios y viviendas marginales

Abstract

Popular housing, "conventillos", urban and semi-urban ranches show the way of life and culture most of the people in Valparaiso in a time when the city experimented a population growth and proper housing was not enough to cover the growing demand due to the greater need to make a living in the city and becoming a city dweller. In this low class neighborhoods, ranches and "conventillos" the most genuine aspects of city life, that which is popular, the life of the humble, the slum dwellers, which is perhaps an important constituent of what is Chilean. In this article our objective is to define a type of "conventillos", nevertheless not describing them in detail, and then establish and image, a mental representation or perception that people had of them during their 'golden age' between the years 1880 and 1920.