The Homeland in the eyes of Alonso de Ovalle

Being in a place is not the same as inhabiting it. Currently, when one simply finds oneself in certain spatial circumstances, the mood that overcomes is that of urgency, of being alone because it is needed, required, or it must be so. One is there because it is useful or convenient to be there. On the other hand, when one lives in a place, the animus It is different. Dwelling involves the establishment of a non-circumstantial relationship with that space, a process in which one becomes flesh with the place. When the German philosopher Martin Heidegger expressed his concern about what Germany the Germans would inhabit after World War II, and the apartments or rooms that had been prepared for their fellow citizens, he was really raising the problem about the capacity of that human being to be able to create the world.[1]. A world is a relational framework between a subject and its circumstance, its space and everything that appears in it. The individual who results, Heidegger knows, is one of defeat[2] It is one in which there is no longer a soul. Without soul, the dasein, that “which is there, being”, although it may sound paradoxical, is no longer there, it is no longer extrapolated from itself towards “the other”, and much less when that “other” is “the standardized”, the German philosopher would tell us. , when everything we encounter is “one and the same”, the “merely useful”. The loss of that rich and diverse environment in the hands of standardization and what in contemporary philosophy will be called “product”, is the same thing that will encourage the English philosopher, Roger Scruton, to rethink the relationship with our environment in Green philosophy (2021). Beyond the environmentalist allegations, which would clearly deserve another writing for proper analysis, the conservative thinker fears that the British countryside will be devoured by the growth of productivity and, in the same vein as Heidegger, proposes the loss of meaning of man with respect to his environment.

I suspect that the apprehensions of both philosophers are very true. In our country this can be seen with complete evidence. From the iconoclastic demonstrations that we have witnessed since October 18, 2019, to the indiscriminate burning of forests during the summers, to the loss of awareness of “what is ours”, we are witnesses of this loss of meaning. Part of the blame, of course, lies with the exacerbated cosmopolitanism typical of a left without national roots, but it also lies with that new empty being that is the tourist, whose father, postmodern capitalism, has pushed to give birth[3]. That despicable individual, dressed in light clothing, who is unable to sit down and appreciate what he sees, because he immediately takes out his cell phone device or camera to interrupt this process of assimilation between “me” and “the other”, replacing the genuine with the false , “what is shown as is” by the “machined landscape.” Although he is a child of his time, his entire existence is also a sign of contempt, of mere reification of the environment. Everything becomes a simple backdrop, a decoration for the true protagonist who is the contemporary Self, void of consistency.

So, especially for a given sector, it is of notable importance to re-appreciate the environment. How we recognize ourselves in interaction with “the rest” forges the links of “ours”, in short, of the Homeland. Therefore, in what follows, I will try to convey that necessary perspective based on the disquisitions of the Spanish priest, historian, illustrator and chronicler born in Chile, Alonso de Ovalle (1601-1651), who took on the task of communicating to the other priests, and the most important members of the Church, what was Chile back in the 16th century, while he was in Rome. In essence, what Ovalle sees or saw portrays in full length that country not yet disrupted by modernity, which is an obvious advantage when determining what we are missing under the camera lens. Do not try to see this as an allegation against civilization, or an ecological call in the Nicanor Parra style.[4]. No. What is attempted is to reconstruct that lost patriotic feeling through the evocation of the images that Ovalle gives us in his Historical Relationship of the Kingdom of Chile (1646), praising “what is ours” based on the beauty and abundance of what we share as individuals belonging to this country.

It would be necessary to start, then, by pointing out that Alonso de Ovalle sees Chile as a place that should not envy Europe anything, to the point of, according to him, not being able to compare and preferring that more pertinent intelligences do so:

“(…) I confess that I would be more happy if foreign witnesses who have seen it spoke about this country, because as they were freer from the slander of passionate people, to which those who talk about their own things are exposed, they could with less fear raise the price of good things. qualities, what was NS[5] served to provide him (…)”

(Ovalle, 1888: 57)[6].

However, barely advanced, he dares to assert that Chile could easily be confused with any European region and that "(...) whoever sees one and the other is a good witness of this truth, and no one passes from this part to the one that does not exist." I noticed it” (Ovalle, 1888: 61). For the same reason "(...) in all that has been discovered in America, I do not know that there is any region or part that is in everything so in accordance with Europe, as this one in Chile" (Ovalle, 1888: 58).

From there, the priest proclaims to the entire Church that Chile has been blessed by God, especially for an unparalleled element that would not exist in all regions of America: abundance. From its lands, the rivers and streams, the conditions of its sea and islands, and even its southernmost regions; The unequivocal symbol is the condition full of gifts and miracles that the Almighty lavished on the inhabitants of this very isolated region. We will point out each of these elements.

And, precisely, one of the most important for us as a right – and as a country, there is no doubt – has to do with the Chilean countryside. As anyone knows, the central sector of our country gave rise to Chile.[7]. The historian is not unaware of it, for the same reason, he will beautifully describe its constitution and the moments that the different times of the year give us in it:

“With the rains and first grasses of winter it seems that the earth is ready for the new adornment and beauty of the flowers, with which in mid-August spring begins to beautify it, which lasts until the sun begins to press with its heat in December and they are born in such abundance and of so many species, that they look like painted fields and make for a very beautiful view (…)”.

(Ovale, 1888: 62).

The gift is so much that the fruits and herbs are unparalleled. The strength of the land that accompanies the Chilean countryside is key. In the case of the first "(...) there are many and of various types and ways, and of those from Europe the only thing missing is one or another that has not yet arrived, because when carried, or in a seed, or bone, or plant, it catches then with such force that it admires” (Ovalle, 1888: 71) and, in the case of the second, “(…) the land throws and produces these herbs, which are so much that in many places the uncultivated fields cannot be distinguished from the same crops” (Ovalle, 1888: 66). In all cases, the Chilean countryside is blessed. The illustrator even comments:

“(…) in some valleys of this Kingdom, at certain times of the year, a dew falls on the leaves of the plants so thick that, freezing like sugar and stored at its proper times, it serves almost the same purpose as the manna".

(Ovalle, 1888: 113).

The image is remarkable. One can only glimpse grace. The same one that feeds the rivers and streams of this kingdom. The priest, on his travels, had to cross to Cuyo, where he could verify the richness of Chilean waters. While passing that mountain range, which we will talk about, Alonso de Ovalle will amaze us with his description:

“It was necessary, to counterbalance and alleviate the dangers and hardships of these roads, that God temper their rigors with the entertainment of so many joyful fountains and springs, such as those that are being discovered and enjoyed by them; You can see some descending from an imperceptible height, and finding no obstacle in the intermediate space, jump, spreading the entire blow of the water, which is usually very large, and breaking up along the way into small drops, creating a very beautiful sight on the way down like a seed pearl. spilled, or pearls loosed (…)”.

(Ovalle, 1888: 85).

There are so many waters and varied in their manifestation that, in themselves: "What makes this mountain range least admirable is the abundance of fountains, springs, streams and rivers that we find in it at every step when we cross it from one part to another" (Ovalle, 1888: 84). Deep down, Ovalle's vision of it will be glorious and, for the same reason, he will find himself incapable of issuing such a condition in words:

“(…) it is not possible to say everything, nor, no matter how much you paint, you will never be able to arrive at the truth of what you see there, because truly everything is so extraordinary and of such admirable composition, that the simplest narration will seem artificial, just by adjusting to the particularities, diversity and grace of these sources”.

(Ovalle, 1888: 88).

Thus, a description of the various rivers and streams that feed the Chilean lands will begin that should leave everyone speechless. Special will be the Maipo River and the Biobío, to which he will dedicate long descriptions. Regarding the first "(...) the famous Maipo (...) is so fast in its current, and sometimes it becomes arrogant and grows so much, that there is no bridge, no matter how strong it may be, that does not carry it ahead (...)" ( Ovalle, 1888: 91); and about the second, even healing conditions:

  “(…) it is the most powerful of all the others in Chile (…) what makes it most worthy of its praise (…) [are] the healthy waters of which it is composed, and leaving aside the excellence of passing distilled through veins of gold (...), it has a unique feature of a river that enters it, which is born and passes through sarsaparilla trees that, communicating its virtues and qualities, make its waters salutary and against many diseases.”

(Ovalle, 1888: 96).

However, the qualities of the country's rivers and streams, which the chronicler recognizes, there is another geographical landmark, a portentous gift that God gave us, that will grant them those characteristics. For Ovalle, this phenomenon has no comparison: “The mountain range of Chile, which we can call a wonder of nature, and without second, because I do not know that there is anything in the world that is similar to it” (Ovalle, 1888: 76). The Chilean mountains would be on another level. There would be no human need to ornament it, even:

“There is no need for human industry, nor for the Inca to spend his wages to make admirable what by its nature is as admirable as this mountain range in everything that extends and runs through the jurisdiction and kingdom of Chile, as will be seen running through minor for some of its parts and properties (…)”.

(Ovalle, 1888: 77).

The most admirable thing, for the priest, will be, in addition to his height, what makes him feel as if he were: "(...) through those mountains stepping on clouds (...)" (Ovalle, 1888: 77), and as if he were a distance that makes others see as “(…) pygmies, and to me it seemed reckless or impossible to get there” (Ovalle, 1888: 85); but, without a doubt, it will be its beauty that will cause the historian to be enraptured. Being up there, on that trip already mentioned, he will tell us:

“(…) it does not look like a cloud, nor is it seen for many days, and then, the sun shining on that immensity of snow and on those steep slopes and white sides and blades of such extensive mountain ranges, they make a view that even at Those of us who were born there and are accustomed to it, admire us and give reasons to praise the Creator, who could create such beauty (…)”

(Ovalle, 1888: 84).

That testimony that is the mountain range of divine providence is reflected again in other aspects of our country, since: “The abundance and fertility of this kingdom is not only seen and enjoyed in its lands and valleys, but also throughout its coast, and on the rocks and cliffs where the sea lashes” (Ovalle, 1888: 123). That “…sea that calmly bathes us” really promised us splendor, as Eusebio Lillo said.[8], while it assures us abundance, like our entire land. Between fish, snails and shells, of which “It would never end to refer to all the species there are (…)” (Ovalle, 1888: 124), and hedgehogs, which the priest “(…) although they are also found in other parts, I have never seen them as large as on those coasts, where they are in great abundance (…)” (Ovalle, 1888: 126), there is also the queen of the sea beings:

“The beginning of this matter of fish is the whale, since its greatness seems to make it queen of all the others, and if where the king is there is the court, we can give this title among the other parts of this southern element to those of Chile. , where there is such an abundance of whales, that I don't know where they are found anymore (…)”.

(Ovalle, 1888: 127).

 This abundance will occur throughout the national coast, from Arica to Magallanes, in all ports, passing through all its islands, archipelagos and fjords: “(…) they say of Guillermo Sceuten's navy[9], that arriving at the islands of Juan Fernández (...) the abundance of fish that they found there was so great, that in a very short space of time they caught a large sum of bass (...)" (Ovalle, 1888: 130); as well as its enormity and beauty:

“The sea lions that breed on almost all those coasts can be said to be without number, according to the multitude of them; I have seen so many, even out of the water, sunbathing on the rocks, that not only covered them, but were on top of each other, and not being able to fit so many together, they rolled into the sea without being able to hold each other. And they are as big as calves, nor do they differ from them in the roars they make. On the voyage of Hernando de Magellan, Antonio de Herrera says that, in the River de la Cruz, in the Strait, they caught one so disformed that without the skin, head and breast it weighed more than nineteen Castilian arrobas (...) ”

(Ovalle, 1888: 128).

Of course, the forests and birds of our country are not far behind, starting with the specimens typical of the Chilean countryside, which the historian describes as providential. Speaking of the central valley, he states: “The trees, although wild, carry very tasty local fruits. Many and various birds breed in them and, with their sweet music and harmony, make the entertainment of those who go there to relax greater and more peaceful” (Ovalle, 1888: 113). And they are so enormous, that some do not deserve the envy of the European genre:

“Some trees do not exceed those of Europe in grandeur, such as sour cherries, quinces, almonds, apricots, pomegranates, olive trees, orange trees, lemons and citrons, peaches and peaches (…) but the fig trees grow so much that, facing the trunk , bouquets and fruit of those from Chile with all the others that I have seen in Europe and in other parts of the Indies, it can be said with all truth that it has one by four, and some more; It thickens the trunk so much that two, or three or four men are needed to embrace it. The camues do not exceed the ordinary size, but of the apple trees I have seen some as grown as elms. The pear trees are much larger, and more than all, the moral and walnut trees (…)”.

(Ovalle, 1888: 150).

The birds, which we already mentioned, must also be mentioned. There are so many and so diverse that Ovalle cannot help but get excited when describing them, starting with the eagle:

“(…) the queen of all (…) there are many there and they are very common, although the royal or imperial ones have only been seen in two times, the first when the Spanish entered that kingdom, and the second the year forty, when, as we will see later, the rebellious Araucanians once again surrendered their indomitable neck to their God and their King (…)”.

(Ovalle, 1888: 134).

The presence of the eagle had something divine, as can be seen. This is what happens when he talks about the whale, and also when he talks about the horse. In Chile, animals have something heavenly. Note how he describes the last animal mentioned:

“(…) They are of such good size, vigor and work that they are not surpassed by the Neapolitans that I have seen, nor by the Andalusians from whom they originate; because being of such a good race and having found the land so natural and purposeful, they have not had the opportunity to bastardize”

(Ovalle, 1888: 146).

In short, Chile is a piece of heaven. That same sky that the priest boasts about before the members of the Church, saying “The common voice of all who have seen and inhabited that country is that its soil and sky and the air between, if it has the same in the rest of the world, It has no superior (…)” (Ovalle, 1888: 139). Our sky, that “…blue, crossed by breezes”, whose stars “(…) in terms of their great number and multitude and the smooth and clear sky where they are, there is no one who does not recognize the advantage that they give to other parts” (Ovalle, 1888:139), is the most beautiful, according to the priest, and where it can be seen with greater clarity and preciousness: "(...) its radiance and beauty is most beautiful and most lucid in those parts the path of the Milky Way" (Ovalle, 1888: 142).

And everything, sky, sea and land, is divine work and grace. Ovalle will not tire of explaining that everything responds to the will of God, who sought to prepare the stage for the devotees of these lands. The historian was, in turn, a disseminator of the faith. As a member of the Jesuits[10], had spent time among the natives, and had seen with his own eyes the advance of Christianity in these lands and how difficult, according to him, it was to dedicate oneself to the task, having so much beauty around:

“(…) everything could have been done by the Author of nature, who showed himself to be so liberal and beneficent towards that country, where the singular properties it enjoys are so many and so wonderful, that it is not a big deal not to know all of them, particularly that Those of us who are employed in those parts in the spiritual conquest of souls, have very little time left to scrutinize these and other curiosities and secrets of nature.”.

(Ovalle, 1888: 118).

The divine majesty has blessed this land and we must surrender to it. That faith and surprise at the divine beauty that surrounds us is what we urgently need:

“(…) nor is there any other remedy for these difficulties, but only from heaven, as I experienced on one occasion when, finding ourselves very overwhelmed with thirst, without being able to remedy ourselves so quickly, because the water was very far away, God was pleased to send us a downpour one night, with which many pools that were on the land filled up, we all drank and the cattle were satisfied and we made provisions for the future, giving thanks to His Divine Majesty for having helped us in such great trouble and recreating us with His paternal providence”.

(Ovalle, 1888: 200).

In conclusion, a right-wing man cannot pass by such beauty without acknowledging receipt. Part of the main process of self-recognition arises in the relationship that cannot be established with what surrounds it. In that interaction there is the sense of inhabiting a territory – not territories, by the way –, of becoming one with it. That piece of land, sky and sea that accompanies us becomes part of the imagination of a country, of that common destiny to which we adhere and in which we meet others. And, particularly, I hope that you could see through the priest's eyes how majestic our country, our land, is, and the unbreakable bond that it generates, the love that it awakens. God has given us something that exceeds any expectation, there is dedication from the Almighty in what we witness, and the respect and care that we owe to that beauty, the recognition of the place, that which the tourist knows nothing about, that “bird of “step” that only knows how to destroy or falsify the landscapes it finds, must be part of the characteristics of a right-wing profile.

[1] He raised all of this in his conference “Build, Live, Think” in Darmstadt, Germany in 1951.

[2] There is a current debate about human nature revealed after the world wars and the failure that this would imply for the project of modernity. In the case of the historian, Niall Ferguson (2016), the 20th century would be the obvious example of a failure, but not for the psychologist, Steven Pinker (2018), who will argue that violence has been in decline globally. I have more reservations about this second position than about the first.

[3] They are the same tourists who appear during the “heritage days” celebrated in the country. In this regard, I wrote a letter about that day in 2023, when I visited the Central Bank, a heritage building in which we were received by a public official who had no idea about the origin and history of where he worked, although this was not an obstacle for the Rigorous tourists will capture their dull moments in meaningless photos. See https://www.revistaindividuo.cl/cartas-al-director/patrimonio-2023

[4] His poem “Soliloquy of the Individual” could be analyzed as an allegation against civilization. In addition, we know their environmentalist positions. To see the former, read Parra (2005) and the latter in Morales (2014).

[5] "Our Lord".

[6] All textual references correspond to the book published by Imprenta Ercilla in 1888. In addition, the quotes will correspond to the first, second and third books, which were relevant to the objective of the essay. On the other hand, I will allow myself spelling updates for a better understanding of the text. In any case, an older version, which includes the chronicler's illustrations, can be found in https://www.memoriachilena.gob.cl/602/w3-article-8380.html

[7] To begin with, it is the agricultural landowners who became rich trading with the Viceroyalty of Peru who will carry out the emancipation process. See Holt (2014).

[8] The lyrics of the national song are extremely beautiful, but so is Eusebio's poetry. See Lillo (1923).

[9] Willem Schouten, Dutch sailor who traveled through the Magellanic channels. For further details see his account of his trip through these areas in De Guzmán (1619).

[10] An excellent analysis of the role of the Jesuits in the history of the Spanish Empire and its effects on different Latin American leaders today in Zanatta (2021). Other analyzes can be found in Claro et.al. (2024).