Anti-seismic strategies of the churches of the Chilean Andean Altiplano, five centuries resisting earthquakes

Abstract

In the Andean Altiplano there are currently hundreds of small masonry structure buildings, initially built by the Spanish colonizers, which have been resisting earthquakes for up to five centuries in one of the most seismically dangerous areas on the world. The research focuses on the study of the churches of the Arica and Parinacota region, currently belonging to Chile. These are small churches of typically Spanish way of building (functional, formal and constructive) in which a series of key structural modifications have been introduced. The mere verification of its permanence shows that it has been possible to improve the seismic vulnerability of its masonry structures. The purpose of this article is to identify the seismic strategies introduced in America, based on a detailed study of the geometry, materials and structural systems of 30 of these churches, contrasted with the original typology in Spain © 2022 CSIC. Este es un artículo de acceso abierto distribuido bajo los términos de la licencia de uso y distribución Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0)