Patrimonialización comunitaria en barrios de Santiago: Los casos de las zonas típicas de Viel y Yungay

From a political and participatory point of view, this paper presents two highly paradigmatic cases in relation to the National Heritage and citizen activism in Chile: the typical and picturesque areas of the neighborhoods Viel and Yungay-Brazil, both located in the municipality of Santiago and declared heritage areas by the National Monuments Council in 2009.The concept of heritage is used both in its material and immaterial component, constituting it as a significant expression of human identity; in turn, the impact of citizen participation in patrimonizing neighborhoods is valued. Using interviews, news reviews and observations in the neighborhoods, it is concluded that the process of patrimonialization generated by local communities in both cases and consolidated in 2009, represents a real alternative to generate an effective assessment of the place where one lives, which also has risks that can affect both the heritage itself as well as the welfare of the community. For future research it is suggested to work around Chilean heritage institutions and the impact of migrants in heritage areas.