Changes in the typology of small spanish churches in America due to structural reasons: how seismic vulnerability was reduced in current Chile

Abstract

There are no studies that have verified the existence, in areas of high seismic danger, of a significant number of historic structures that have withstood earthquakes for several centuries. The present study confirms the existence today, in a region of current Chile (Arica and Parinacota region), of practically all the parish churches that were built by the Spanish colonization (in the 16th and 17th centuries).The permanence of these churches shows that it has been possible to provide some seismic structural safety to the buildings of the historical heritage. The historical-constructive study that is presented gives the keys on how to do it: initially the Spaniards incorporated a series of key modifications to their European structural system to reduce seismic vulnerability and, in addition, these constructions have reached the present day thanks to the intervention on them maintaining the original structures with the same techniques, without the use of new materials or structural systems.