El medio geográfico como antecedente de una fundación: El caso de San Bartolomé de Chillán, Chile (1580-1598)

This study examines the founding of San Bartolomé de Chillán in 1580 from acultural geography perpective, emphasizing how the Itata Valley was shaped as a social space through historical, cultural and interactional processes betweenindigenous communities and colonizers. This research analyzes the role of human dynamics in the construction of territory and the transformations driven by the introduction of new practices, species, and colonial territorial structures. The methodology was based on the collection of historical data, cartographic analysis, and review of sources of the time. Through a multidisciplinary approach, this study concludes that the founding process cannot be explained solely by natural factors but must be understood within a framework that integrates cultural representations and social interactions in space.