Lo territorial, lo político y lo jurídico en la patrimonialización barrial: un análisis de barrio Suárez Mujica, Santiago de Chile

In this article I present the results of an ethnographic research based on observations and interviews on the disputed patrimonialization of the Suárez Mujica barrio (neighborhood) of Santiago de Chile. Suárez Mujica’s patrimonialization occurred in the framework of neighborhood struggles for the protection of residential environments and in response to the processes of densification of the neoliberal city. By analyzing the productivity of patrimonial conflict in territorial, legal, and political terms, I conclude that the intertwining of the legal consequences of heritage-making and agency at the neighborhood level leads to a double process of reconstitution and fragmentation of the neighborhood’s social fabric. This process, in turn, generates new territorialities and tensions. Finally, I highlight how, in response to government regulations on community-based heritage, Suárez Mujica’s inhabitants developed new political skills.